She is one of about 140,000 African-American women living and aging with HIV. Early stories of women living with HIV focused on sex workers and injection drug users, those who were highly stigmatized by society for behaviors it deemed immoral. Conversations about women with HIV were silenced and shamed, causing delays in testing and treatment for women. HIV research specifically excluded women, perpetuating the myth that women were not at risk for HIV. Amid the uncertainty that life with HIV brings, African-American women, like those featured here, live with hope and strength.

Source: Huffington Post March 05, 2019 16:30 UTC