Intro – Chanica ('NikNik')

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Chanica Adams is a devoted public health advocate, mother, grandmother, and community leader with nearly two decades of experience in HIV treatment and care, housing justice, and civic engagement. Living with HIV for over 20 years, Chanica has transformed her personal journey into a powerful platform rooted in service, storytelling, and systemic change—especially for Black women and communities that are often overlooked and underserved.

A proud Detroiter, Chanica currently serves as the Housing Administrative Coordinator for a supportive housing program for women living with HIV, where she leads residential operations and connects residents to vital services, resources, and support systems. She also serves as Chair of the Community Advisory Group for the Women's Supportive Housing Program and as an At-Large Member of the Finance Committee for the Southeastern Michigan HIV/AIDS Planning Council (SEMHAC), where she helps guide resource allocation and funding priorities to ensure community needs are met with transparency and equity.

Chanica's return to education reflects her strength and vision—balancing work, advocacy, and motherhood, she earned a bachelor's degree in Substance Use and Addiction Studies and went on to complete a Master of Public Health in Community Health Leadership. Her lived experience, paired with her academic expertise, allows her to advocate with depth and lead with heart.

Her commitment and impact have been recognized across several community and national platforms. In 2018, Chanica was named Shero of the Month by Positive Women's Network-USA. She received SEMHAC's "New Member Who Hit the Ground Running" award in 2017 and a service recognition in 2022. In 2021, she was honored by Changing Lives and Staying Sober (CLASS) with the Cloud 9 Collaborator award for her coalition-building efforts in substance use prevention. Most recently, in 2023, she received the Barbara Murray HIV Service Award from LGBT Detroit during the annual Hotter Than July celebration—an honor recognizing her ongoing commitment to HIV advocacy and community upliftment.

Chanica has worked with grassroots organizations such as Vote Positive USA, Mothering Justice, and LGBT Detroit, where she has led civic engagement, voter education, and empowerment initiatives focused on health equity, social justice, and systemic accountability.

Through her writing on The Well Project, Chanica shares not only her truth—but a call to action: that healing happens in community, that advocacy starts with lived experience, and that our voices have the power to transform the systems we navigate. Her work is a reminder that we are more than our diagnosis—we are leaders, visionaries, and change agents in our own right.

Why NikNik wants to be part of A Girl Like Me: I have been putting off this blog for the longest. I want to write so other women who may relate to my story - or who may not know where to start with sharing their story - will not be afraid.