To our beloved community,
On this World AIDS Day, we pause to remember, to honor, and to recommit ourselves to the ongoing fight against HIV/AIDS and the systems that perpetuate health inequities in our communities.
Today marks more than four decades since the first reported cases of what would become known as AIDS. We remember the countless lives lost—our brothers, sisters, siblings, partners, friends, mentors, and chosen family. We recognize the vibrant souls taken far too soon, the artists and activists whose voices were silenced, the elders who should still be here to guide us. We carry their names in our hearts, their stories in our memory, and their legacy in our continued struggle for justice and dignity.
The AIDS crisis has always been inseparable from the struggles against racism, homophobia, transphobia, and systemic neglect. Our Black and Brown LGBTQIA+ communities bore and continue to bear a disproportionate burden of this epidemic. We remember how our people were left to care for one another when institutions failed us, how we built networks of love and solidarity when the world looked away, and how we demanded to be seen, to be treated, and to matter.
Today, we also hold space for those among us who continue to face the challenges of living with HIV. We acknowledge those who struggle to access quality healthcare, affordable medication, and supportive services. We see you. We stand with you. Your lives have inherent worth, and your health matters.
We recognize that the fight against HIV/AIDS is inseparable from fights against poverty, housing insecurity, healthcare disparities, and the criminalization of our existence. Too many in our community still face barriers to prevention, testing, and treatment. Too many still experience stigma and discrimination. Too many are still dying from a disease that is both preventable and treatable.
Yet even in the face of these painful realities, we also honor the remarkable resilience of our community. We honor the caregivers who showed up when no one else would. We honor the activists who fought for research, for funding, for our right to live. We honor those living openly with HIV who have transformed stigma into strength and silence into advocacy. We honor the medical professionals, community health workers, and grassroots organizers who continue this vital work every single day.
We honor you—our BiPOC and LGBTQIA+ family—for your resilience in times of uncertainty, for your courage in the face of adversity, and for your unwavering commitment to one another. You have survived. You have thrived. You have built communities of care that have sustained us through the darkest times and continue to light our way forward.
As we observe World AIDS Day, Atlanta Black Pride remains committed to supporting comprehensive HIV prevention and care within our communities. We remain committed to fighting the stigma that prevents people from seeking testing and treatment. We remain committed to advocating for policies that ensure everyone has access to quality healthcare, housing, and the resources needed to live full and healthy lives.
To those we have lost: we remember you with love and gratitude.
To those living with HIV: we see you, we support you, and we celebrate your strength.
To our entire community: we continue this work together, with hope and determination, until we achieve a world where HIV/AIDS no longer devastates our communities and where every person can access the care and dignity they deserve.
In solidarity and with love,
The Board of Directors
Atlanta Black Pride, Inc.