"He tried to erase me in one fell swoop. Make my existence not even worthy of a footnote or postscript." These are the words I wanted to scream as I searched the White House page on Friday, January 20, 2017
Tiffany's blog
I've been silent for awhile now. The silence has been a lack of inspiration and feeling like I had nothing to contribute to the conversation. Well, last week I went to USCA in San Diego for the first time in a very long time and got a wealth of information and inspiration. Now I struggle with separating it all out to make it useful for me and others as it sits jumbled in my head. But here we go. I work in HIV research and despite the hype that it is meaningful work; guess what - there are days I don't see the meaning. There are days I don't see HIV. I don't see where it all fits and I'm stuck...
When good people do nothing and nothing blocks anything. And nothing blocks everything. My sister friends get infected. My people die. When good people, protect good people who do nothing and nothing blocks anything. And nothing blocks everything. My sister friends get infected. My people die. When good people weigh politics, position, and paychecks over purpose. And blocks anything, everything. My sister friends get infected. My people die. Can you imagine when… ... good people just start doing good work?
There is this great quote by Maya Angelou, "If someone shows you who they are. Believe them." The funny thing is every time I hear the quote being used often the person is remarking how someone has shown a negative side of themselves. I have had the pleasure over the last year getting to see someone and I do believe them. They are brilliant, passionate, and funny. They have been an inspiration to me and a reminder of who I once was, still am, and could be. It is sometimes very easy to habitually work at something that you no longer see its purpose. You no longer see the beauty of the thing...
March 4, 2013 The score used to read: 40,000,000 infected 0 cured But today we are encouraged to believe in the impossible again. Impossible only determining the degree of difficulty it takes not necessarily the inevitability of it all. Today the score reads: 40,000,000 infected 2 CURED!* The day that there will be MORE seems POSSIBLE each day. Tiffany B.Dominique
I just attended a screening of the Oscar nominated documentary, " How to Survive A Plague." ***Spoiler alert I went into the screening fully expecting to be pissed that it was not a complete representation of the AIDS movement in America.*** I was not disappointed! It wasn't, the film depicted an important time in the epidemic from the perspective of one maybe two groups (ACT UP NYC and TAG). It left you seeing the epidemic from a gay white male perspective. But, I was also surprised! The images are powerful. The stories are compelling. I saw the stories and could easily get past the gay/...
...That is what she said in response to the hearing of another young woman dead in our community as she urged her friends on facebook to have a call to arms. I was so struck by the statement that I knew it had to be my own. How many of us have heard the numbers about HIV/AIDS in our community and still lacked action? How many of us know someone in the community that has been discriminated against because of their status and done nothing? How many times have you said this is important I will take a stand and then continued to sit on the couch? Maybe it is only I who have done these things once...
The world is watching as news of two more cured come out of IAS. The world is watching as questions about the "End of AIDS" seem more plausible than ever before especially for those of us who remember bold claims of yester year that we once believed only to have our hopes dashed by a virus more adept at adapting and mutating into something far more complex than what had been seen before. It has been 20 plus years since the International AIDS Conference has been on US soil and it is much different than it was then. We in many ways are more battle tested and weary from the fight when we see...
Many years ago my college roommate, Tawana Washington, wrote this hauntingly brilliant poem called "Fits the Description." The poem spoke about the negative portrayals and criminalization of Black men within the American psyche. You know the descriptions she spoke of, the generic ones: "black male, medium build" that so astutely allow you to identify the "suspect." After all, Black men only make up what… 6% of the American population, surely I know the Black man they mean. ALL OF THEM! I knew at the time that the piece was brilliant but I naively thought that such descriptors would have no...
The headline reads, "HIV Among Black Women 5 times Higher than Previously Thought" It was some of the biggest news in HIV last week. And I'm still not sure how to take it. Yay, I'm excited that I have data to support what I've known all along. Information from a study conducted in six US cities with incidence rates among Black women that rival those of sub-Saharan nations. Now the scary part...how will people use this data to push an agenda that could be contrary to good public health policy and initiatives? Does it resonate with young women I see on the streets going on about their daily...