February 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which aims to bring awareness to the existing racial disparities that affect the care of Black people with HIV/AIDS (PWHIVA). Profound racial disparities exist and persist in HIV testing and care in the United States, with Black Americans bearing a disproportionate burden of the epidemic. 

HIV has shaped conversations in Black communities for more than four decades — not just as a medical condition, but as a source of fear, silence, and stigma. That stigma didn’t appear out of nowhere. It grew out of historical trauma, misinformation, and the ways racism has shaped access to healthcare. National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is an opportunity to shift the narrative. It’s a moment to honor our communities’ resilience, share accurate information, and create space