Red Dog. Activism Perez is an activist for Puerto Rican rights: Her film Yo soy Boricua, pa'que tu lo sepas! (I'm Puerto Rican, Just So You Know!) documents her activism. She starred in and directed the Spanish AIDS PSA campaign "Join the Fight" for Cable Positive and Kismet Films. The campaign featured actor Wilmer Valderrama, BET's Julissa Bermudez, Telenovela actor Erick Elías, singer/actress Lorena Rojas, 2006–2007 Miss Universe Zuleyka Rivera and actress Judy Marte. An English-language campaign was also directed by Liev Schreiber. US President Barack Obama appointed her to The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA). She was sworn in on February 2, 2010. On January 6, 2000, she was arrested for disorderly conduct in Manhattan following a rally to protest against the U.S. Navy air weapons training, as well as other forms of payload on the government training range owned at Vieques, an island off the coast of Puerto Rico. Perez serves as the chair of the artistic board for Urban Arts Partnership, a New York City arts education nonprofit that uses arts integrated education programs to close the achievement gap. Personal life Perez suffered abuse during her childhood along with her siblings from her mother, as well as regular beatings from a nun, Sister Bernarda, according to a May 2022 interview with Terry Gross on NPR's "Fresh Air". As a result, she has suffered from high anxiety, PTSD, and depression but with therapy it has been greatly reduced. Perez married filmmaker and playwright Seth Zvi Rosenfeld in 1998. The couple divorced in 2001 after ten years together. She married artist Eric Haze on September 15, 2013, in Las Vegas. They had decided to get married the night before, while attending the Floyd Mayweather vs. Saúl Álvarez boxing match. They got married the following morning. They live in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Perez stated on the Pineapple Express DVD commentary that she is allergic to dairy products. She was a friend of the late rapper and actor Tupac Shakur. Filmography Film Television Theatre Awards and nominations (2021) NHMC Impact Awards (Outstanding Performance in a Series) Published works References External links 1964 births Living people Activists from New York (state) Actresses from New York City American actresses of Puerto Rican descent American choreographers American film actresses American health activists American stage actresses American television actresses American voice actresses Hispanic and Latino American actresses HIV/AIDS activists People from Bushwick, Brooklyn People