In an effort to raise awareness and funds for the LUPUS FOUNDATION OF AMERICA, Fred Williams, Head Coach of the WNBA team Tulsa Shock and Wife Mrs. Bo Talley-Williams, CEO of Blaq Pearl Entertainment, along with many female notables will host their 2nd Annual Charity Celebrity Basketball Game themed “BALLING FOR LUPUS” at Alonzo Crim High School on Saturday, May 30, 2015 at 5:30 pm. This is an historic event (the first all-female celebrity game in Atlanta) that will bring former WNBA players and female celebrities all together for one common dynamic LUPUS AWARENESS! Tell readers about your “Balling For Lupus” celebrity game and how lupus has affected your family. My aunt passed away from Lupus, that’s the reason why I am continuing with Balling for Lupus and her two daughters have Lupus. Growing up we never really talked about what happen to my aunt and why she died, until her daughter got ill. When her daughter became ill, that’s when my grandmother mentioned that her mom died from the same illness. The reason I do the game is because of my family members and because there are so many people that I met throughout my life that have Lupus. I can be having a general conversation with someone random and Lupus comes out of their mouth. I don’t know why people that have Lupus have been drawn to me. I felt like that was my calling to bring more awareness about it and it was so close to home. I felt like I needed to do my part to help people learn about this illness, where to get tested and know your symptoms. That’s why its important to me and the best way for me to bring awareness was the basketball game. I’m surrounded by sports and I was an athletic person growing up. All my children and my dad. I just decided to let’s have fun with this. Let’s do basketball and let’s bring in all women. It’s been a fun journey and I’m excited about how much fun I can go with this thing. Any reason you decided to do an all-female celebrity game? My husband coaches in the WNBA, which is the Women’s National Basketball Association. I am considered Ms. WNBA. I am considered the first lady of the WNBA to a lot of people. I was Ms. Queen of Atlanta when it came to the WNBA. My husband used to coach the Atlanta Dream. That was the best route to go for me. No one that I knew, none of my entertainer friends, any of the promoters I knew were doing all-female celebrity games. Even though we were in those games, not all female games. Might have been men, but not women. So, might as well. I’m Ms. WNBA, that’s my niche anyway and that’s why I decided to do all-female. I’m pro-woman all day every day, trying to do more for the women. I feel like if people see us doing good for a great cause and it’s all women, it can help promote the WNBA with my husband being tied to that. I definitely want to bring more awareness to them, see that women can hoop and can hoop for a cause. Do you think there is enough awareness about Lupus? Absolutely not. I don’t think there is enough awareness about Lupus because a lot of my friends had never heard of Lupus until I did my game last year. Now, so many people who did not know of Lupus, are now finding out that their family members have Lupus. That’s what Aunt Bertha died from and that’s what cousin Jamie died from, even some men have Lupus. I don’t think there is enough awareness about it and I hope to be a major part of bringing more awareness through this game and through so many others things that I’m doing. I will continue to be a Lupus advocate till the day I leave this earth. It’s not enough awareness and people don’t even know what it is. Would you ever consider a hosting a celebrity game about Breast Cancer, Diabetes, Sickle-Cell anemia or any other health issues? Yeah of course, absolutely. Every one of those elements I know someone attached to it in my family or close friend…definitely yeah. I hadn’t really focused on those elements for my game, not saying I would never do it. I would. Just the other day I had one reach out to me, to bring this game to their city for breast cancer and sickle cell. It is a consideration. But right now, Lupus is my platform and I want to continue to do this game with Lupus. Continue to build this game around Lupus and Lupus around this game. Is there anything you would like people to know about you? I’m a hard worker. Social media has taken over the world. I can’t share my every second of my day with everyone on social media. It’s more to me than what I display on my social media. I put on there what I want you to see. If I’m in the mood to share that part of my life with you, I’ll let you know about it. I’m a caring girl. I’m a fun girl. I’ll like to turn up when I need to turn up, in a classy good way. I am she. I am not her, to think you can run over. But I am SHE. That just means that I don’t mind being the lady to help girl or man getting to the next level. I am that lady who listens. I love learning and I love given advice to. I only speak on my experiences. I only talk about what I have experienced myself. I’m not going to talk about sh*t I don’t know. I’m easy going and easy to talk to. Get to know me and I guarantee you will love me. How can fans keep in contact with you through social networks? All my social media are one stop shop. @Iammsbotalley that’s for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Then, my company @BlaqPearlEntertainment is spelled Blaq Pearl Entertainment. That’s also my website www.blaqpearlent.com.
