Articles

Most city dwellers, including myself, have no idea what it is like for someone living in rural middle and southern states in America. There is an overall lack of appreciation...

I wasn’t the same. I was diagnosed in my late 20’s at 27 years old, at a time in my life when I should have been enjoying my 6-year-old daughter...

It’s winter here in Chicago. Granted, I’m used to it. There is a rhythm to the seasons. In Chicago, we are always adjusting to extremes. Cold winter nights and hot...

One weekend, while conducting local free mobile HIV testing, my worst fear came true. A pedestrian near the site overdosed, right in front of my eyes. Luckily, I had received...

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that lives in the blood and infects CD4 cells in the body. It has been estimated that roughly 1.1 million Americans are living...

U = U is good news for everyone! Undetectable = Untransmittable! Simply stated, if your HIV viral load is undetectable (> 6 months and <20 copies/ml), you are untransmittable to your...

I travel at least once or twice a month and I always do my packing a couple of days before my trip so I won’t forget anything. No matter how...

Philadelphia is home to many of the best HIV healthcare and HIV-related social services in America! Philadelphia is ranked #15 for best healthcare systems in our country. Large and small...

As this community and our sister communities grow, one universal truth is clear: people are more than just their diagnoses. As 2019 comes to a close and a new year...

Going to the doctor is not something most folks look forward too. However, after receiving an HIV diagnosis, going to the doctor becomes a part of our routine to stay...

It’s not easy. Talking about your HIV status out loud to anyone is not that easy for everybody and it’s not easy for some people to want to admit that...

The shock. Finding out that you're diagnosed with HIV can be frightening: you feel lost about which way to turn, who to talk to, who do you tell. Many just...

People-first language (PFL) also called person-first language is the use of language which puts the person before the diagnosis. People-first language describes what a person has rather than what a...

Youth Power Up for A Stigma-Free Future was this year’s theme for the 10th Anniversary of the International Conference on Stigma hosted at Howard University on Friday, November 22nd. We...

Since my HIV diagnosis and during my career as a professional librarian, I moved almost every two years to take a new position with more responsibilities. After my second move...

The first time I heard of PrEP was five or six years ago. I remember looking online for science research studies to join because I was broke and had some...

These four letters, L-O-V-E, can cause such mental confusion to every human being. And that is because we are born to love, born to be loved, and born to fall...

We were first introduced through our social network in 1989. I did not have enough information about you, nor was I consciously connecting to my sexual behavior with my sexual...

Fear is a real emotion. I have been an HIV tester in Philadelphia since 2002. In my experience, the main emotion that motivates and/or deters people from getting tested is...

Stigma can be a complicated and damaging experience for those who feel its effects. When someone is stigmatized, it means they are experiencing misjudgment, stereotyping, or negative attitudes from someone...