CNP Calls for Collective Remembrance on National Black HIV Awareness Day
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Darian Aaron, Communications Director
darian.aaron@counternarrative.org
The Counter Narrative Project (CNP) was founded as a love letter to early HIV movement leaders, some of whose stories are documented in books such as “In The Life” and “Brother To Brother,”—two sacred texts amplifying the voices of Black gay men in the early HIV crisis. CNP is committed to not only countering narratives but shattering myths as we work at the intersection of public health, narrative shift, and collective remembrance. Acknowledging our past as Black people and Black HIV movement leaders has been the fuel for our activism. At CNP, we believe that historical erasure is anti-Black racism. By healing collective trauma, we are elevating community power.
Since 1999, National Black HIV Awareness Day has been marked to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment in communities of color. In our work, CNP has sought to not only raise awareness but transform consciousness through elevating the beautiful movement lineage that we are connected to. We must remember those who came before us, paved the way, and left blueprints for us to follow.
This National Black HIV Awareness Day, CNP, would like to invite you to join us in remembering those who laid the foundation. Here are three specific things you can do: (1) Read our story about Tré Johnson. (2) Disseminate our toolkit about Mario Cooper. (3) Share your own stories about Black HIV movement leaders that inspired, affirmed, and made space for you.
As we continue to fight for racial justice and HIV justice, we hope you will continue to say the names and speak the stories of those who fought before us.
ABOUT CNP
The Counter Narrative Project (CNP), shifts narratives about Black gay men to change policy and improve lives. Our organization is committed to working in coalition and solidarity with all racial and social justice movements. We stand in the tradition of organizers, writers, and visionaries such as Bayard Rustin and James Baldwin. Our key initiatives include: (1) The CNP Narrative Justice Fellowship. (2) The CNP Leadership Lab. And (3), the CNP Summit.
