On what would have been the 80th birthday of famed vocalist Donny Hathaway, his daughter, Donnita, launched the Donny Hathaway Legacy Project. The project is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization founded by Donnita in her father’s honor and is dedicated to music and mental wellness. The intimate event took place in Atlanta at Miss Conduck, a Caribbean restaurant and lounge, among close friends and supporters.
Donnita’s mission is to “provide holistic mental and emotional health-related education, advocacy and essential resources,” according to the nonprofit’s website. The target demographic is creative artists and young people in Black communities.
“I am overwhelmed with emotion. I’ve been thinking about this day for the past 10 years,” Donnita said. “Wanting my father to be acknowledged for his musical contributions.”
Donnita continued: “80 is just such a pristine age, and I really wish that he could be here. The fact that I decided to launch my nonprofit, The Donny Hathaway Legacy Project, on such a special day, I’m just completely full.”
Donnita emphasized that the organization will utilize holistic healing modalities, music, and education to foster mental wellness among project participants.
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Donny Hathaway churned out soulful chart-topping songs throughout the late 1960s and into the late 70s, including “A Song for You,” “Ghetto Boy,” “This Christmas,” “Where Is the Love,” and “Back Together Again,” with his fellow Howard University alum and musical partner Roberta Flack. His struggles with mental health, over the course of his career, led to his untimely death. Donny died by suicide on Jan. 13, 1979, after falling 15 stories from his hotel room at New York City’s Essex Hotel.
Gerald Keys, who works in music and media as chief of production with the Ludacris Foundation and as CEO of Prompt Haus, an AI-native tech agency, spoke to the necessity of mental health awareness and balance.
“In our communities, we have a lot of unhealed trauma, a lot of things that we go through,” Keys said. “That we’re so resilient, that sometimes that can kind of backfire on us.”
Among those who showed up to give their support to Donnita was Crooner Eric Roberson, who was heavily influenced by Donny Hathaway. Roberson shared reflections and emphasized the importance of attending the event, keeping Black music alive, and using the art form and Donny’s personal experience to address mental health.
To learn more about The Donny Hathaway Legacy Project, visit the organization’s website here.
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