The Laurel Foundation’s 2024 Youth Empowerment Award is given to Tony Award nominee and Emmy Award Winner, Sheryl Lee Ralph. The Laurel Foundation presented this award to Sheryl Lee Ralph in recognition of her decades-long dedication to raising awareness about HIV/AIDS, LGBTQ+ rights, social justice, racial and gender equity, women’s and girls’ equity, and addressing food and housing insecurities through her impactful work with The DIVA Foundation. Her unwavering commitment to improving lives-especially those of young people-makes her the perfect recipient of this award.