If left unacknowledged, persistent racial and gender disparities in HIV transmission and treatment will continue to thwart any effort to curtail the pandemic. Given the enduring impact of inequality, poor health, and marginalization on Black women’s mental and emotional health, HIV interventions must supplement clinic visits with social and support groups designed and led by Black women.

"No one’s telling the stories of HIV-positive Black women. In the pandemic, they need more support." Caption: Examines the unique reproductive, gender, and racial experiences of Black women living through two historic pandemics -- HIV/AIDS and COVID-19. On the heels of the 40th commemoration of HIV/AIDS in the United States, HIV-positive Black girls and women continue to navigate illness, structural violence, inequality. The COVID-19 pandemic has not only laid bare pre-existing inequalities, but it has also undermined recent progress to provide access to AIDS medicines and treatments and reproductive health and services to girls and women. For Black immigrant women—many of whom work in health care and service jobs that increase their risk of COVID exposure—their immigration status is a factor that magnifies the obstacles they face. To effectively advocate for Black girls and women living with HIV/AIDS, we must prioritize holistic, culturally sensitive approaches that appropriately address their unique needs

Jallicia Jolly writes about the lived experiences of HIV-positive Black women in the U.S. and Jamaica as they grapple with the prolonged effects of illness, inequality, and inequities on their wellbeing

Black women living with HIV/AIDS are connecting with each other and advocating for resources. They continue a legacy of support, of advocacy, of community-building, of life-saving work that will determine if we can end this pandemic.