This year, National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NNHAAD) is on Wednesday, March 20. On this day, we pause to recognize the impact of HIV among Native populations and highlight the critical work happening in communities around the country to engage Native people, including American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians, in fully ending the HIV epidemic.

The theme for the 2024 observance of NNHAAD, annually recognized on the first day of Spring, is “It’s All Relative, Our Experience Makes a Difference.” This theme acknowledges the invaluable contributions of Native communities in ending the HIV epidemic, underscoring the significance of Native visibility in national HIV strategies and funding opportunities. “The observance is an opportunity for us to renew our commitment to the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative by sharing information about HIV and its impact on Indigenous communities, as well as to promote HIV testing, decrease the stigma associated with HIV, and highlight those heroic individuals who care for our relatives living with HIV,” says Rick Haverkate, MPH, Branch Chief, HIV/HCV/STI Branch, Office of Clinical & Preventive Services, Indian Health Service (IHS).

NNHAAD supports the Indigenous HIV/AIDS Syndemic Strategy: Weaving Together the National HIV, STI, and Viral Hepatitis PlansExit Disclaimer (PDF, 3.62MB). Referred to as the Indigi-HAS, the National HIV/AIDS Program for IHS coordinated its release. The Strategy complements the existing National HIV/AIDS Strategy and includes additional specific topics important to Indigenous communities. It adopts a syndemic approach, addressing HIV, hepatitis C virus, and sexually transmitted infections in an integrated way.

HISstory, HERstory, THEIRstory, OURSTORY: Storytelling as Resilience

The IHS, the Minority HIV/AIDS Fund, and HHS provided support to Kua`aina Associates, which partnered with the Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board to produce OURSTORY, a celebration of life told through traditional oral/storytelling—the backbone of Indigenous knowledge transfer. This year we are highlighting three videos featuring Sophina CalderonExit Disclaimer, Brad LumExit Disclaimer, and Lisa TigerExit Disclaimer, from HISstory, HERstory, THEIRstory, OURSTORY: Storytelling as Resilience, an initiative aimed at increasing awareness and knowledge of HIV and breaking down the barriers of HIV/AIDS stigma in Indigenous communities through the tradition of storytelling.

Additional Resources

• The IHS National HIV/AIDS Program coordinates and promotes HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment activities specific to Indigenous communities as part of a comprehensive public health approach. Visit the site to learn more.
• The National Native HIV Network resources page provides information from various federal partners, including the CDC, IHS, the Minority HIV/AIDS Fund, and HIV.gov. You may view the site hereExit Disclaimer, order materials, download graphicsExit Disclaimer, and read the fact sheetsExit Disclaimer about HIV in Native communities.
• Read IHS’ Two-Spirit web page to learn more about the term and how it is used to describe gender-variant members of Native communities.

Join in Observing National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Join the conversation on social media platforms by using the hashtag #NNHAAD2024. You can also follow these handles for NNHAAD messages and resources:

Twitter: @HIVgovExit Disclaimer
www.facebook.com/IndianHealthServiceExit Disclaimer
www.facebook.com/NNHAAD1/Exit Disclaimer
Twitter: @CDC_HIVExit Disclaimer