SisterLove's 20/20 Leading Women Society

Journalism is invisible advocacy for me, I have been writing since high school. I have been blogging about living with HIV on a national level for almost as long as I have known I was positive. I was not aware that recognition for doing this was a thing.

On August 5th I got a text message from LaToya Murchison who I have known from Pillow Talk for almost 4 years, she told me to check my email. Excitedly, I hopped into my Gmail to read "20/20 Leading Women's Society Information awaiting" with my glittery green eyes. A smile crept across my face, "I know you have made a significant impact on the HIV community and think you would make the perfect candidate." I felt myself blush as her words glimmered in my face, making my heart flutter.

Imposter syndrome?

A flash of doubt crept in after I googled SisterLove's website, words stuck out to me, knowing as a white cisgender woman I am a super minority of these statistics. The first woman on the page is Dr. Alicia Diggs, one of my Zoom Mentors from Positive Women's Network and Pillow Talk.

I hope the excitement I feel about it never goes away, Dr. Diggs is a member of PACHA, The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS. They provide advice, information, and recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Services regarding programs, policies, and research to promote effective treatment, prevention, and cure of HIV disease and AIDS, including considering common comorbidities as needed to promote effective HIV diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and quality services.

A humbling experience

I was not expecting to be chosen, especially after I watched re-runs of the awards shows on YouTube. I am humble I guess, and don't see myself in the same light as these women. I filled out an application, and was asked to provide a picture and biography with it. A letter of recommendation was then requested, so I sent an email to one of my direct contacts Angela Riley, from The American Academy of HIV Medicine where I have been active on a Community Advisory Group (CAG) for 3 and a half years.

In September, at the Positive Living Conference in Florida, I was approved by multiple women. When I got the email weeks later to prove such words were true, I was proud, amazed and speechless.

Preparing for the big event

I'm a tomboy, who when not at work lives in jeans, hoodies, and Vans so fancy dresses and heals are not in my closet. At work, during down time gowns were then searched for online. Once word spread through my department, I work in an infectious disease clinic in a hospital, my co-worker and boss donated the dresses and shoes I wore for Friday's Gala, and Saturday night's white induction ceremony.

I was flown to Atlanta, Georgia on Halloween and put up in a hotel where I got to room with my friend Dawn Trotter, my blood sister from Pillow Talk and Positive Women's Network.

My best friend from pre-school and Brownies, Sarah, who has lived across the country from me for almost forever, drove 2 hours to be my emotional support. She did my hair for the Gala, and took pictures over the weekend. She did not plan on going, but she made such an impact on others who were there someone turned to her "just here to take pictures" into seating her in a perfect spot. I finally met in real life, LaDawn Tate, who I did a Facebook Live with in April 2022 on abortions and mifepristone with Positive Women's Network.

Meeting my peers

About 20 of the women who were flown in were honored by SisterLove, they have been diagnosed for at least 20 years. Myself and 4 other women were inducted; the inductees have been living with HIV less than 20 years diagnosed. The Leading Women's Society has just over 300 HIV positive women and female-identifying champions, united by lived experiences with HIV.

I met the Dázon Dixon Diallo who I learned about in featured in the 4th episode of Blind Angels: A Series on HIV in the American South, a Courageous Studios production in partnership with Gilead Sciences. Diallo, is the founder and president of SisterLove Inc. In 1989 it was the first women's HIV/AIDS and reproductive justice organization in the southeastern United States.

Thanks to Deirdre Speaks, I ended up in Diallo's private suite Friday night with about 10 other women, plus Cedric Pulliam, PhD. We chatted and got to know each other into the morning hours. Around 2 am high school flashbacks flooded my memory when hotel security banged on the door demanding we keep our voices down, he reported there were multiple noise complaints about us.

Roses, red and terracotta followed us from Thursday nights welcome dinner to Saturday's all day institute and induction ceremony. All of the rooms were colorfully speckled with floral arrangements, some taller than me.

Finding community among the biggest names in HIV advocacy

With these women, from around the globe genuine connections were felt immediately inside these rooms, our growing sisterhood bond was felt. Unlike the feeling I had in Girl Scouts as a little girl, with these women, I finally feel like I have found my place. Looking into their eyes, I realized we don't leave behind broken glass, because the only ceiling we need to break is within our minds.

We have freed ourselves from stigma, and I believe part of what connects us is we have set no limitations on where our individual HIV journeys lead. From the beginning of my diagnosis I have refused to become stagnant in my growth.

Without readers I would have written blogs and poetry just for me to get through. Thank you to my readers, for still reading my babbles, and for seeing me beyond the pages. I'm still Googling some of these women, I am excited to see where these connections lead, and what positive changes we can make together.