World AIDS Day 2021 Speech
Thank you for the warm welcome and introduction. Before I utter another word, please allow me to wish you happy holidays … Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy New Year! I hope your turkey day was glorious, delicious, and heartwarmingly spent with friends and loved ones. I wish you rest and restoration. We are going to need our strength for the fights that are ahead of us.
Congratulations to the committee of this 33rd Anniversary Ceremony. I am keenly aware of what it takes to organize annual events such as AIDS Walk Michigan and Hotter Than July. Teamwork does make the dream work. I applaud you for being connected and truly working on the theme of Solidarity & Unity.
Thank you everyone for welcoming me to speak at our annual Detroit World Aids Day celebration. This regional wide event is important, and unfortunately, is needed to pause and to remember. Although I can’t in my heart recognize today as a celebration, the acknowledgment of the most important period in my life is necessary.
I pray for your safety, family and those that we lost during this horrific viral attack. The early Spring of 2020 changed everything. Like so many, I experienced an immediate resistance to change. I pushed back and challenged “anything“ that would disrupt my way of life. I was met with panic from my staff and they wanted to go home immediately on March 5th. Although I admit on that day I didn’t understand their concerns — their fear-stricken faces convince me to give in to their request to be “safe. By March 20th, I understood.
I struggle with this moment. Ever since I was asked to be a keynote for today, I hesitated greatly from putting pen to paper. Talking about HIV and AIDS causes me great emotional pain. Sure, I can scholarly discuss the impact of the virus in corporate spaces, pride marches, and organized rallies. I’ve done that for years. But never have I addressed this matter in a room like this among friends, peers, and warriors.
I was a student attending the best high school in Detroit. Before enrollment, I had already come out as an openly gay teenager. In Octobers, I am sometimes asked to speak about my coming out experiences at different forums when invited. I reflect on how uneventful, beneficial, and important it was for me to be out at 14 years old in 1979. As an openly gay teenager, the thing that I had to worry most about was possibly being bullied and teased. And that was a minor concern because I was surrounded by classmates that protected me. I had no idea what direction life had in store for me after graduation.
I am struggling at this moment. I reminisce quietly while at home looking at my collection of books, photo albums, letters, and greeting cards in my library. When alone, I can hear the voices, laughs, and cries of my friends while I lived in New York during the height of the epidemic. I recall some of the people I met on my journeys. I think of Troy who partied too much and liked to shake his narrow ass in inappropriate public places, often. He's always thinking he’s in a club. My other friend, who’s nickname was Buggy, had a front gold tooth. He cracked jokes on the regular and was the life of the party. My elder and lovely short friend Bill could have easily taught “shade” as a college course. And I always think of my best friend Robert when I see his photo in my office.
I still struggle talking about this period in my life. By the time I was 28, death notices from friends were common. The clubs and bars were our CNN, no longer a place to escape. We ran to the dives to learn what had happened to one another. There I learned that friends like Troy, Buggy, and Bill had died. We drank and got high to numb the pain. Robert had died in my arms. I promised him on his deathbed that no one would painfully suffer at the hands of HIV and AIDS.
Since 1992, I dove right into activism. I met our hero Cornelius Wilson along with the brothers at Men of Color Motivational Group, I got my feet wet in addressing the harms that HIV and other health concerns caused. Imagine this, about 100 men met once a week to find solutions on how to live and not die. Those years were transformational to me and I am so glad to have met so many people who have become and are presently my friends to this very date.
The weekly MOC meetings at “Mattie Joe’s” on Holbrook & Woodward, is where I sought to find my place to contribute. During my 11 years at AIDS Partnership Michigan, I have learned and contributed to the needs of caseworkers, prevention, and education staff. My daily activities were to secure and manage resources under the direction of Barbara Murray and Hank Millbourne. When I was a patient advocate at Dr. Crain's clinic, I had an incredible opportunity to engage with people in the struggle for finding peace through assistance and becoming a better advocate.
Detroit is home to the third oldest ASO in America. I am proud to say that! After New York and San Fransisco, the community has led and continues to lead nationally in taking care of us. Significant healthcare leadership from Dr. Benson, Dr. Crain, Dr. Cohn, and their support teams should be applauded, celebrated, and thanked for their service. To them all, I thank you.
This year, in 2021, marks the 40th anniversary of HIV discovery in The United States. Though there are several remembrances, we recognize the progress we have made in how we respond to the epidemic, and what we still face ahead. An important part of HIV history is the evolution and shift of public perception and education. HIV stigma remains a constant concern because of several ongoing social determinants of public health — namely …
Income and social protection,
Education,
Unemployment and job insecurity,
Work/ life conditions,
Food insecurity,
Housing, basic amenities, and the environment
In our organization, we have great news to share. With the development of our broadcast newsroom, our COVID-19 Inoculation Project, celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Leadership Academy, the Evolution of Hotter Than July … LGBT Detroit commits to meaningfully address HIV/AIDS stigma in the City of Detroit, Southeast Michigan communities, and the State of Michigan. Utilizing our 5 program methods to reduce the stigma, which consists of an educational tour, a sex-positive event, the mentorship program, the social network, and the social media campaign, we believe the impact will change how YOU administer care and prevention. As I said, get rest.
In closing …
Together, we have a lot of work to do. Let’s learn something new. We have another generation of people living with HIV and AIDS. That does NOT bring me joy to say. Yes … it’s a struggle and it’s exhaustive. And yes .. . other organized initiatives need our attention. We have and can chew gum and walk at the same time. As much as I can, I will continue to uplift Troy, Buggy, and Bill. There are others. They remain in my mind. And I will always have Robert with me.
Thank you World Aids Day Committee for your time and commitment to put on this event. Thank you, my brother, Rondoe for this opportunity. May all your dreams come true in 2022. Thank you so very much.