A screenshot of a blurb from Georgia Equality's newsletter. At the top is the Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day logo of the southeastern states wrapped in the red HIV ribbon. In bold text reads the header, "Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day" Below reads, "This month, August 20 will mark Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day devoted to calling attention to the disproportionate number of people living with HIV in the south. This disparity is caused by a number of factors– including systemic inequality, stigma, and misinformed policies. In the South, we know how to hold pain and possibility in the same breath. We are the region most burdened by HIV, yet also the heartbeat of resilience, care, and cultural power. Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day isn’t just a date. It’s a declaration. A declaration that Black, Brown, queer, trans, rural, and working-class people in the South deserve access to life-saving prevention and treatment. That stigma must die before our people do. That silence is not an option when systems keep failing us. We honor the voices of those we’ve lost and fight for the futures still here. Because we’re not waiting for change to come South. We are the change—loud, unyielding, and already here."

As our HIV Policy Manager, Kayla Quimbley-Young, wrote:

"In the South, we know how to hold pain and possibility in the same breath. We are the region most burdened by HIV, yet also the heartbeat of resilience, care, and cultural power."

#SHAAD #STEPInSolidarity #HIVInTheSouth