Asia has worked to combat HIV since the early days of the epidemic. While volunteering with the Staten Island AIDS Task Force in 1994, she got tested for HIV as a gesture of support for the client whom she was counseling—only to learn that she herself was positive. Asia lives in Staten Island with her two daughters and two grandchildren.
Bianca, a resident of the Bronx, holds graduate degrees from the University of Maryland in Women’s Studies and New York University in Human Sexuality Education. She is a board member of The Black Girl Project and has taught at public and private institutions of higher education.
Craig started out as a peer educator when he was a high school student in Brooklyn. He went on to work with the Hunter College Center on AIDS, Drugs and Community Health (now the Hunter College Center for Community and Urban Health); Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS; Philliber Research Associates; and the Brooklyn Pediatric AIDS Network. Craig lives in New Jersey with his two young sons.
Inacent was trained as a peer educator at Teens Helping Each Other, a Brooklyn-based project of the SUNY Downstate Medical Center. She has worked with the Brooklyn AIDS Task Force, Settlement Health and the Council for Unity. A lifelong native of Brooklyn, Inacent is a community educator at Inwood House.
Jahlove is the chair of the Youth Community Advisory Board for the New York State Department of Health and a vocal advocate for the rights of HIV-positive lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning young people. He was infected with HIV at the age of 15 through an anonymous sexual encounter and, upon disclosing his status, was kicked out of his home. He went on to graduate from high school and train as a health educator.
Jilian, originally from Guyana, moved to the United States in 1992. She discovered that she was HIV-positive in 1995. Jilian attended the African American HIV University and is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Metropolitan College of New York, while raising her two teens.
Jimmy learned he was HIV-positive in 1987, but did not fully disclose until a 1992 stay at an inpatient rehab center in his hometown of Westhampton Beach. He is open about and proud of the fact that he is a gay man in recovery, living with AIDS. He is certified by the New York State Department of Health as an EMT/CPR instructor. He is also an HIV/AIDS educator and lives in Southampton.
Joey, a lifelong resident of the Bronx, draws on his experience being HIV-positive in his work with marginalized communities. He is a member of the New York State HIV Prevention Planning Group and a founding board member of the Ali Forney Center for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth, where he now works as the Coordinator of Policy and Training. Joey is also a trained health educator.
Jorge was born and raised in Miami’s Cuban community and moved to New York City in 1986. Following his diagnosis with HIV in 1997, he received HIV education training from the AIDS Institute of the New York State Department of Health and conducted workshops in schools through Friends in Deed for many years. Jorge also serves on the Board of Directors of Love Heals.
Julie was born in Queens and raised in an Italian-American Catholic family. She was infected with HIV in college during her first intimate relationship, but did not learn that she was HIV-positive until seven years later, after falling ill during her honeymoon. Julie is a peer educator at North Shore University Hospital and works with dogs through rescue work and therapy visits.
Kareem, a graduate of SUNY’S University at Buffalo, received his health education training through Love Heals. Born and raised in Brooklyn, Kareem is the creator/owner of Bloodline Denim jeans, which have been modeled by the hosts of 106 & Park: BET’s Top 10 Live.
Kalvin discovered he was HIV-positive at the age of 18 as a college freshman. He found support and the courage to speak about his status at the Health and Education Alternatives for Teens (HEAT) program at SUNY Downstate Medical Center and is currently pursuing his Masters of Social Work at St. John’s University.
Kim, a Brooklyn native, learned she was HIV-positive at the age of 10 after both her parents died from AIDS-related illnesses. A trained health educator who was raised by her grandmother, Kim traveled to Africa with UNICEF to talk about her experiences with HIV and saw firsthand the impact of the epidemic abroad.
Mona, a resident of Queens, was diagnosed with HIV in 1990. Since that time, she has worked as a community health worker with the Brooklyn Healthy AmeriCorps Project and a health aide with Miracles Can Happen Home Care. Mona currently works as a certified nursing assistant at a senior citizens center and is pursuing her nursing technician certification.
Moya holds a Masters of Public Health from Columbia University and is currently a senior HIV counselor at The Door. An advocate of engaging youth in HIV/AIDS education, she also serves as a facilitator for LEAP for Girls and the CDC’s SISTA (Sisters Informing Sisters about Topics on AIDS) intervention.
Nairobi began his community organizing, education and advocacy career at the age of 15. He has worked with the AIDS and Adolescents Network of New York, Family Planning Advocates of New York State, People of Color in Crisis, and FIERCE (Fabulous Independent Educated Radicals for Community Empowerment). Nairobi was the founding executive director of Youth Organizers United.
Nicole was raised in Rhode Island and received her bachelor’s degree from Pitzer College before moving to New York City. She has been involved in health education locally—as a high school health teacher and coordinator of the KAYAC (Keeping Adolescents and Young Adults Connected) program at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center—as well as internationally through work with the Peace Corps in Cameroon and WINGS in Guatemala.
Niko, the daughter of a South Carolina preacher, learned that she was HIV-positive while she was in college. For many years, fear kept her from telling anyone, let alone seeking support. Niko eventually relocated to New York City, where she has worked and/or trained with Iris House, Exponents/ARRIVE, the AIDS and Adolescents Network of New York, Project Reach Youth, the People with AIDS Coalition of New York, and the International Center for the Disabled.
Stephanie facilitates a New York City-based young women’s empowerment program and holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences with a concentration in Community Health. She has also worked at the Institute for the Elimination of Health Disparities at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.
Vivian, a Brooklyn native, holds a Masters of Public Health from Columbia University. She has extensive experience in curriculum development and sexual health education, including serving as a facilitator for LEAP for Girls and working with various community-based organizations including ASPIRA, the Center for Employment Opportunities, El Puente, and Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad. Vivian has also worked on sexuality education development in the Dominican Republic.
