Michelle Anderson, M.A., is a nationally recognized advocate, narrative strategist, and founder of Narrative Power Institute (NPI), where she helps transform lived experience into leadership, policy influence, and systems change. Holding a Master of Arts in Clinical Counseling and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Michelle brings both professional expertise and lived experience to her work at the intersections of HIV advocacy, reproductive justice, health equity, and community leadership, with a strong focus on Black women in the South.
Living with HIV since 1999, Michelle has spent more than two decades advancing advocacy efforts that challenge stigma, address HIV criminalization, and expand access to care. Through NPI, she develops trainings and narrative strategies that help individuals and organizations use storytelling to influence systems and drive change. Michelle has contributed to national initiatives connected to the National HIV AIDS Strategy and previously held leadership roles with organizations including The Afiya Center. In 2011, she made history as the only known woman openly living with HIV to win a national mainstream pageant title.
Why Michelle wants to be part of A Girl Like Me: I would like to be a part of A Girl Like Me because there is still so much still to be done in raising awareness of HIV and HIV education. It is, in my opinion as an openly-positive woman, important to continue to share stories of hope and struggles of women who live with this disease so maybe one day we can eradicate stigma, empower women to disclose their status and shed light on the many social issues surrounding HIV infection in hopes to end HIV infection among women
