HIV does not exist in a vacuum. It is an outcome of systemic health injustices. Therefore, in our mission to end the epidemic in Black communities, we confront intersecting issues like institutional racism, HIV stigma, transphobia, disconnect between faith and the LGBTQ+ community, mental health awareness, medical mistrust, affordable housing, and more.
Black Voices Matter is a year-long conversation series that amplifies Black influencers with varied perspectives and platforms. By including individuals who represent the spectrum of all Black lives, we aim to create HIV awareness in spaces where it has previously been ignored or misunderstood.
We are launching Black Voices Matter in the midst of a pandemic that is hurting Black Americans twice as much as White Americans. These conversations are a timely opportunity to highlight how systemic health injustice affects our people, regardless of health issues – and what we are doing about it.
Black Voices Matter is hosted by Raniyah Copeland, President and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute. Read her bio here.
Watch the episodes below!
Episode 4: Billy Porter, Actor, Activist, Author, Juneteenth – June 19 2021
Billy Porter has dazzled us with many stellar on screen characters and his years of off screen activism. His career recently skyrocketed with his successful portrayal as Pray Tell , on the iconic show – POSE. As we honored the 40th year of the discovery of AIDS, Billy disclosed he had been living with HIV for 14 years. In true Billy style, his story of trauma, healing, and claiming joy makes for a special Juneteenth episode.
Episode 3: Sheryl Lee Ralph, Entertainer and HIV Activist, February 2021
Sheryl Lee Ralph is an American actress, singer, author, and activist. She made her screen debut in the 1977 comedy film A Piece of the Action, before landing her breakthrough role as Deena Jones in the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, for which she received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress in a Musical.
Ms. Ralph has spent over three decades using her platform to create awareness about HIV in Black communities and collaborated with Black AIDS Institute on numerous occasions.
Episode 2: Emil Wilbekin, Founder, Native Son, November 2020
Emil Wilbekin is the Founder of Native Son, a platform created to inspire and empower Black Gay Men.
He has appeared On-Air discussing pop culture, fashion/style, entertainment, and current affairs on The Today Show, NBC Channel 4 News New York, E! VH-1, MTV, BET, CNN, The Insider, Arise 360, Revolt, and PBS. Wilbekin has expertise in editorial creation, content curation, and multimedia storytelling (print, digital, social, video, and live events) having served as Chief Content Officer at Afropunk, Editor-at-Large at Essence, Managing Editor of Essence.com, Editor-in-Chief of Giant and Giantmag.com, Style Guru at Complex Media, VP of Brand Development at Marc Eckō Enterprises, Editorial Director/Vice President of Vibe Ventures and Editor-in-Chief of Vibe Magazine. Under Wilbekin’s leadership, Vibe won the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in 2002.
Episode 1: Tina Knowles-Lawson, Entrepreneur & Philanthropist, October 2020
Mrs. Tina Knowles-Lawson, known to many as the mother of Beyonce, Solange, and Kelly, is an entrepreneur, activist, philanthropist, and Instagram Live talk show host.
In this 35-minute inaugural conversation, Mrs. Tina shares her experience losing a loved one to HIV/AIDS in the ’90s, the stigma and lack of information that still exists, and how she stays motivated to uplift Black people through her community efforts.