Friday, February 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (#NBHAAD), an annual event focused on increasing HIV education, testing, and treatment among Black communities. It’s also an important opportunity to address the fact that HIV continues to affect Black cis and transgender women and Black men who have sex with men (MSM) at incredibly high and disproportionate rates. While Black cis women only represent 13% of the female U.S. population, 59% of all cis women who received an HIV diagnosis in 2017 were Black. Further, 44% of all Black trans women in the U.S. are estimated to be living with HIV. We have been thrilled to see decreases in the numbers of new HIV cases among Black women (cisgender), but we still have a long road to travel.
On this NBHAAD, we are honored to be able to share the wise words of several of our incredible community advisory board (CAB) members and A Girl Like Me (AGLM) bloggers. We hope they inspire you as much as they do us!
Aryah Lester: "Let HIV live with you. Invite HIV into your home through healthy conversations and behaviors, making it a constant and destigmatized reminder. If we normalize our conversations about HIV, it will not come into your home as an intruder. If you are someone impacted by HIV, remember you are not living with HIV, it is living with you. Give it the attention it needs: a virus which kills its host has failed. Include regular and affirming healthcare within your life and set reminders for adherence. We can take away the power of HIV over Black lives, by being educated and informed."
Ciarra Covin: "As a Black woman diagnosed with HIV at the onset of her 20s, I felt extremely let down by my community. Not that it was anyone else’s responsibility to protect me. I just couldn’t figure out why we weren’t talking about this virus. I didn’t feel like I was on the radar for this one. Maybe chlamydia or something else you could get rid of. But never HIV. It’s now a decade later and for the life of me, I still don’t understand how strongly stigmatized it is. The truth of the matter is, we probably all know someone who is living with HIV. But we’re not talking about it. The conversation piece is what it feels like is missing. Conversation without judgement. It could literally save a life."
Masonia Traylor: "I want Black women to know that you are valuable and worthy beyond measure! Black Girl Magic is more than a statement. It is the energy and mere essence of our being. There's nothing in this world like us. We need better processes and systems that help us to not feel like we are having to fight EVERY step of the way to survive. We need quality people to be a solid link on a chain; to hold our hands to denounce the stigma beyond your personal fear of this cruel virus that we babysit. Help bring us together more where we don't feel like we're in this alone. Know that we have and desire children without the laden fear of passing HIV along from breastfeeding or from giving birth. Stop leaving the United States out of research opportunities with the assumption that our female, African-American bodies are the same because we are human. Because HIV/AIDS does NOT define who we are as a people or a culture, know that we are and have been the shift that's needed to slow this epidemic down. As a Black woman living with HIV, I want the world to know that we are resilient and this will not continue to burden our communities as long as we continue to take up space in nontraditional and unexpected ways. WE ARE HERE!"
Porchia Dees: "I want Black women living with HIV to know that they are Beautiful Queens regardless of their HIV status, and that they are still deserving and worthy of a healthy love. I want Black women vulnerable to contracting HIV to know that they need to take control of their sexual health by getting tested on a consistent basis and creating space in their relationships to openly talk about their sexuality. There are many different factors that contribute to the reasons why Black people continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. To name a few:
- The role of the church in the Black community. Historically, religion has taught us to view sex and sexuality very negatively
- The stigma surrounded by homosexuality.
- The lack of medical resources and financial barriers to healthcare in minority populations, substance abuse issues, mental health issues, and just ignorance or lack of education surrounding HIV/AIDS
I want the world to know that I will not dim my light to make others comfortable. I will not let stigmas, -isms, and phobias keep me silent anymore. I am Black, I am a Woman, I am HIV Positive, and I am Proud."
Tiommi Jenae Luckett: "As a Black woman of trans experience living with HIV, I want the world to know that being undetectable is not a destination but a journey. Not everyone living with HIV has the same access to life-saving medications because of the social determinants of health. Poverty, homelessness, over-policing of Black bodies, anti-TGLB legislation, and many other factors that are a daily part of the Black experience in America contribute to higher rates of HIV-incidence and criminalization of Black people."
Wanona (Nunu) Thomas: "NBHAAD is important because it was created to be a grassroot-education effort to raise awareness on HIV prevention, testing, treatment and to amplify the voices of communities of color impacted by HIV. Every year there is a theme and this year it's "We're in this together." I believe the saying, “nothing about us without us.” If we understand the way this impacts us as a whole and not just individually and work together, we can really end this epidemic or get close as hell! This is the year for clearer vision, 2020 vision to be exact."
