activism, advocacy

The Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) conference was held in Tampa, FL in November of this year. The theme for 2022 was EQUITY, COMPASSION & SCIENCE - KEYS TO ENDING THE EPIDEMIC. Tampa was a controversial place to hold this meeting because of the political climate.

Never did I ever imagine that *I* would be standing in ANYbody's conference presenting ANYthing to some nurses. And here we are. This year's Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC) Conference was held in Tampa, Florida, November 17-19th and what a wonderful experience this was!

Ashley Nicole Richardson is a young African American Woman with an ambition like none other. Ashley has always had a passion for helping those in her community.

Date: June 12, 2020 Situation: The murder of George Floyd occurred on May 25th, 2020. Protests and civil unrest began on May 26, 2020.

To celebrate World Aids Day 2022, Inyambo Stars together with RBP+ (an association of People living with HIV) organized the "Stop HIV stigma show" in the commune of Gihanga on the 3rd of December. I was very privileged to support them to organise this show for the third time.

The flood gates have opened and I've FINALLY had the opportunity to attend USCHA, something I've longed for since shortly after my diagnosis in 2016.

After five years absence, this year I was finally able to visit my Motherland Burundi again. My big dream was to rejoin the school children, parents and teachers in my village Murira, part of the commune of Gihanga.

I remember attending USCHA in 2016 and feeling out of place, unsure of my next moves, and feeling defeated in all aspects of my life. I remember being ready to give up and walk away from HIV work FOREVER (please insert Cardi B voice) because I just didn't think I had anything left to offer.

What a wonderful joy it has been to attend the 2022 United States Conference on HIV and AIDS in the beautiful island of Puerto Rico. I'm so grateful to NMAC for allowing me to attend on their HIV50+ Strong & Healthy Scholarship

Let's talk about it! Y'all. after four and a half years of being an advocate and educating myself on HIV since I was diagnosed, I finally got to go to my very first in-person conference.