It’s hard to believe that we’re coming up on the 40 th anniversary of the first reports of what would come to be known as HIV. My personal journey with HIV began in 1994 when my sister, Ellen, was diagnosed with AIDS—with under 100 T-cells. It was a devastating diagnosis for my family, and the after-effects (including the degree to which her disease was accepted, or not, by those around her, and what she did with that) have had a long-lasting impact on me.
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To The Well Project community, I write to you today with feelings of profound sadness and disgust, and frankly, struggling with what to say. While I don't necessarily feel prepared to offer wisdom in the wake of the violent insurrection that took place in the United States Capitol yesterday, I want you all to know that we are here for you and we love you. Perhaps what saddens me the most is that while the events that took place were horrifying and profoundly disturbing, they were not surprising. As tempting as it may be to describe these events as singular, we believe, instead, that they are...
Dear Other White People, For the past several days I have been operating both in a muddy fog and with a racing heart – the heavy pit in my stomach growing with the news of George Floyd's horrific murder by cops and Amy Cooper's weaponizing of her tears against a Black man who asked her to keep her dog from hurting birds.
We hope this note finds you safe and healthy, amidst the extraordinary circumstances that the COVID-19 pandemic has placed on us all. We wanted to reach out with a few updates on what we’re doing to try to support our community during this challenging time – and how you can get involved if you are interested. New Wellness Series: Stay Well at Home with The Well Project As you may know, last week we launched the first session of our Stay Well at Home with The Well Project series. This bi-weekly (every other week) video/chat series features women living with HIV sharing positive approaches to...
We will get through this trying time together. It is important to remember that we are stronger as a community than alone.
Community leaders inspire others living with HIV to end their own self-stigma and value their worth. Community leaders advocate for the needs of their community and impact policy and research. Community leaders galvanize others to become leaders themselves. https://www.thewellproject.org/hindi
While 2018 has proven to be another year of difficult battles and attacks against our community, The Well Project believes in the power of hope and the importance of lifting up the transformative changes that our community has achieved over the past 12 months.
From climate breakdown, to an abusive and divisive new Supreme Court justice, to the attempted erasure of our sisters and brothers of transgender experience, to numerous heinous hate crimes, there seems to be no end to the ways our communities bear the violence of disregard by those in power.
While attending a session on HIV and healthy aging at the International AIDS Conference in Amsterdam, one woman spoke passionately about the need for increased visibility of older people living with HIV.
While many four letter words come to mind regarding yesterday's House vote to pass the American Health Care Act (labeled by some as an "act of monstrous cruelty"), the one we need to keep at the forefront is HOPE. In our community, we've seen the transformative change that hope can bring—helping people feel less alone and less self-stigma, and empowering people to better advocate for themselves and others. Where there is hope, there is change. We, at The Well Project, have established an amazing support community where people lift each other up by sharing their stories, educating themselves...