Giving Back to North Carolina’s HIV Fight

By Jeffery Williams-Knight 

Many of us are drawn to the possibility of being a part of a movement that truly gives back and makes positive change in our communities, our state and beyond.

As a Charlottean, the supervisor of the Mecklenburg County Health Department’s HIV/STD Community Testing and Outreach Program, and as a board chair of the North Carolina AIDS Action Network, I’ve had the unique opportunity to be involved in public education, HIV/STI testing, community-building and HIV/AIDS policy advocacy. As a result of this type of work in my city and across my state, HIV/AIDS-related mortality rates are on the decline, attempts to weaken sex education in the state have thus far failed, and new drug treatments are limiting the impact of HIV.

Nevertheless, our fight is far from over. 

Mecklenburg County remains the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS fight in North Carolina, with the highest number of reported cases in the state. And our hard-fought campaigns continue to help maintain and expand our state’s AIDS Drug Assistance Program, close coverage gaps and expand Medicaid, increase access to comprehensive sex education and life-saving drugs like pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and fight the HIV stigma we saw so clearly in the days and weeks following Charlie Sheen’s disclosure of his HIV status.

Fortunately, a happy coincidence means help is on the way. 

In this season of giving thanks, I invite you to join me in becoming a part of this movement. I encourage you to be grateful for the HIV/AIDS advocacy that touches so many in this city, this county, this state and across the South. And I ask that you lift up this activism by investing today in the work that could end the blight of HIV/AIDS in our lifetimes.

So, as we commemorate World AIDS Day (Dec. 1) this week—a time to unite behind a global movement to end HIV/AIDS—it’s important to acknowledge that HIV advocacy has never been more important here at home.

Like World AIDS Day, #GivingTuesday falls on December 1st, following shopping holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday to unite a global community to look beyond oneself and give back. That’s why this week I’ll be giving back to our state and local HIV advocacy organizations with my commitment, my volunteerism and my wallet. After all, I’ve seen with my own eyes how these often unsung heroes can make a true difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS in my home city of Charlotte, Mecklenburg County, and across North Carolina every single day.  All with a little support from their communities.

We’re told time and time again, “Charlotte’s Got A Lot.”  In addition to our many wonderful people and places, I believe this slogan also references our inexhaustible kindness, our goodwill, and our generosity. 

Now’s the perfect time to show it.

Jeffery Williams-Knight is a board chair of the North Carolina AIDS Action Network where you can donate today at ncaan.org.