Editing Whitney Houston (section)

== Philanthropy ==
Houston was a long-time supporter of charities around the world. In 1989, she established the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children. It offered medical assistance to sick and homeless children, fought to prevent [[child abuse]], taught children to read, created inner-city parks and playgrounds and granted college scholarships, including one to [[the Juilliard School]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|date=February 5, 2019|title=Greenlight Announces Representation of Whitney Houston|url=https://apnews.com/press-release/pr-businesswire/fd2fc731417642b2929a369f493f13f4|access-date=August 3, 2021|work=Associated Press News}}</ref> At a 1988 [[Madison Square Garden]] concert, Houston earned more than $250,000 for the [[United Negro College Fund]] (UNCF).<ref name=":52">{{Cite web|date=August 9, 2012|title=A Look at Whitney's Great Charity Work, She was a True Humanitarian!|url=https://www.blackcelebritygiving.com/rip-whitney-houston-a-look-at-whitneys-great-charity-work-she-was-a-true-humanitarian/|access-date=August 3, 2021|website=BCG}}</ref>

Houston donated all of the earnings from her 1991 Super Bowl XXV performance of "[[The Star Spangled Banner (Whitney Houston recording)|The Star-Spangled Banner]]" sales to [[Gulf War]] servicemen and their families.<ref>{{cite news|date=May 23, 1991|title=Whitney Houston Gives $500,000|page=9A|work=[[The Mount Airy News]]|publisher=Heartland Publications, LLC|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PXA_AAAAIBAJ&pg=2333,5005859&dq=whitney+houston+star+spangled+banner+american+red+cross+governors&hl=en|access-date=January 18, 2016}}</ref> The record label followed suit and she was voted to the ''American Red Cross Board of Directors'' as a result.<ref>{{cite magazine|date=June 17, 1991|title=Houston Raises $500,000 for Red Cross; Named Its to Its Board of Governors|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RrADAAAAMBAJ&q=whitney&pg=PA37|magazine=Jet|volume=80|issue=9|page=37|access-date=January 18, 2016}}<!-- not found in reference |issn=0021-599--></ref> Following the [[September 11 attacks|terrorist attacks]] in 2001, Houston re-released "The Star-Spangled Banner" to support the New York Firefighters 9/11 Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Fraternal Order of Police. She waived her royalty rights to the song, which reached number one on charts in October 2001 and generated more than $1&nbsp;million.<ref name="mtv0109172">{{cite news|last=Reid|first=Shaheem|date=September 17, 2001|title=Whitney Houston's 'Star-Spangled Banner' To Wave Again|publisher=[[MTV]]|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1448905/whitneys-starspangled-banner-waves-again.jhtml|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130129120624/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1448905/whitneys-starspangled-banner-waves-again.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 29, 2013|access-date=March 18, 2011}}</ref> Houston declined to perform in [[Apartheid era|apartheid-era]] South Africa in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 7, 2018 |title='Not black enough': the identity crisis that haunted Whitney Houston |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jul/07/not-black-enough-the-identity-crisis-that-haunted-whitney-houston |access-date=August 3, 2021 |work=[[The Guardian]] |first=Steve |last=Rose}}</ref> Her participation at the 1988 [[Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute|Freedomfest]] performance in London (for a then-imprisoned [[Nelson Mandela]]) grabbed the attention of other musicians and the media.<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 14, 2020|title=From 'Kingston Town' to the Nelson Mandela Tribute in 1988: interview with UB40|url=https://the-shortlisted.co.uk/interview-with-ub40-robin-campbell/|access-date=July 22, 2021|website=The Shortlisted|language=en-GB}}</ref>

In addition, Houston became an activist for the fight against [[HIV and AIDS]] during the first decade of the AIDS epidemic. In 1986, the LGBT magazine publication ''[[The Advocate (magazine)|The Advocate]]'' reported that one of Houston's concerts at the [[Boston Common]] in [[Boston]] raised $30,000 for the [[AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts]] and the Gay and Lesbian Counseling Service. The Whitney Houston Foundation for Children, in particular, focused on helping children who suffered from HIV/AIDS, among other issues. In 1990, Whitney took part in Arista Records' 15th anniversary gala, which was an AIDS benefit, where she sang "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", "Greatest Love of All" and, with cousin Dionne Warwick, "That's What Friends Are For". A year later, Whitney participated in the Reach Out & Touch Someone AIDS vigil at London in September 1991 while she was finishing her historic ten-date residency at London's Wembley Arena; there, she stressed the importance of AIDS research and addressing HIV stigma.<ref name="whitneyaidsvigil91">{{cite web |url=https://granvarones.com/songs-that-soundtracked-the-aids-epidemic-whitneys-i-wanna-dance-with-somebody-who-loves-me/ |title=Songs That Soundtracked the AIDS Epidemic: Whitney's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" |date=March 23, 2021 |accessdate=January 23, 2024}}</ref><ref name="whitneytatchell">''The Incredible Night Whitney Befriended Me And I Saw She Was Doomed'' by [[Peter Tatchell]], [[Mail on Sunday]], February 19, 2012</ref>

In June 1999, Whitney gave a surprise performance at the 13th Annual New York City Lesbian & Gay Pride Dance<ref name="whitneypride2"/> at one of the city's West Side piers.<ref name="whitneypride">{{cite news |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/1430174/whitney-houston-surprises-crowd-at-gay-lesbian-pride-event/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140509095711/http://www.mtv.com/news/1430174/whitney-houston-surprises-crowd-at-gay-lesbian-pride-event/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 9, 2014 |title=Whitney Houston Surprises Crowd at Lesbian-Gay Pride Event |publisher=[[MTV]] |date=June 28, 1999 |access-date=May 26, 2022}}</ref> According to [[Instinct (magazine)|''Instinct'']] magazine, Houston's unannounced performance at the Piers "ushered in a new era that would eventually make high-profile artists performing at LGBTQ events virtually commonplace".<ref name="whitneypride2">{{cite web |url=https://instinctmagazine.com/whitney-houstons-1999-epic-nyc-pride-appearance-is-released/ |title=Whitney Houston's 1999 Epic NYC Pride Appearance Is Released |date=July 16, 2022 |accessdate=November 18, 2022}}</ref> Before hitting the stage, Houston was asked by MTV veejay [[John Norris (reporter)|John Norris]] why she decided to attend the event. Houston replied, "We're all God's children, honey".<ref name="whitneypride2"/>