Grammy Award winner Chaka Khan will spend Tuesday on Capitol Hill lobbying Congress to reauthorize the Combating Autism Act of 2006, which is set to expire this year. “I’ll bet one of my paychecks that either someone in their family or someone very close to them knows somebody that has autism happening in their immediate realm,” the R&B legend told Yeas & Nays on Monday afternoon. Khan’s sister and manager, Tammy McCrary, has a son with autism.
“It’s just horrific,” said Khan. “It seems to be like a thief in the night that comes and takes our children’s minds, mental awareness and physical awareness, too. I think something needs to be done and I think we need to get back on the pony again and ride it for all it’s worth to get help and awareness out there for every community.”
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Determined to help those affected by the disability, Khan and her sister partnered with “My Wife and Kids” star Tisha Campbell-Martin, D.L Hughley’s wife LaDonna, entrepreneur Shannon Nash and autism advocate Donna Hunter to create a documentary about their lives and struggles called “Colored My Mind.”
Khan said that the group of women hopes to bring attention to autism by exposing the disability, educating the public and empowering affected families by airing clips from the documentary, which is set to be released in the fall.
“I know there is a lot going on in the world right now and we are living in such interesting times and there are so many global issues at hand, however, our children are our future. They are it.”
To view a trailer of the documentary visit coloredmymind.com.
