Each year on February 7, we observe National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day—a day that calls us not only to raise awareness, but to tell the truth about HIV in Black communities. For The Reunion Project, this day is deeply personal. It is about survival. It is about remembrance. And it is about honoring the leadership of those who have lived through the epidemic and are still here.
Black communities continue to experience a disproportionate impact of HIV in the United States. These disparities did not happen by accident. They are the result of structural racism, inequitable access to healthcare, poverty, stigma, medical mistrust, and decades of neglect. Too often, the story is reduced to statistics, while the humanity of Black people living with HIV—especially long-term survivors—is overlooked.
At The Reunion Project, we know that HIV is not only a medical condition—it is a lived experience. While advances in treatment have made it possible for many to live long, healthy lives, the emotional weight of stigma, isolation, and criminalization continues to shape daily realities. Survival has often meant navigating loss, trauma, and silence—while still finding the strength to remain visible.
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a moment to uplift a powerful truth: Black people living with HIV have always been leaders. Long-term survivors have helped build communities of care, organized for justice, and created spaces of belonging when none existed. Our lived experience is not secondary to expertise—it is expertise. Our lives are not conditional. Our worth is not up for debate. And our survival is not something to be justified.
I didn’t survive HIV just to be invisible. I survived to be a beacon of hope—and to make sure generations coming behind me know that we do not need permission to claim our right to exist. Our survival is not just personal—it’s collective.
Ending the HIV epidemic will require more than medication and technology. It requires trust, cultural humility, and survivor-led solutions. It requires listening to Black communities, honoring gender and sexual diversity, and investing in programs that address isolation, mental health, aging, and quality of life—not just viral suppression.
For The Reunion Project, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a call to action:
- Affirm long-term survivors as leaders and culture bearers
- Challenge stigma and HIV criminalization wherever it shows up
- Support Black-led, survivor-driven organizations
- Create spaces for connection, healing, and truth-telling
- Commit to sustained care for people living and aging with HIV
At its core, this day affirms what we have always known at The Reunion Project: our lives matter. Our stories matter. Our survival matters. National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is not just about looking back—it is about protecting our futures and ensuring that no survivor is left behind.
Waheedah Shabazz-El, Long-Term Survivor & Director of Community Engagement, The Reunion Project
