HIV.gov commemorated National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) on February 7 with a Live with Leadership conversation in recognition of this year’s observance. You may watch the recording of the conversation hereExit Disclaimer, and we encourage you to share the video with others.

The Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP)-hosted conversation provided an opportunity to hear directly from federal and local leaders about accelerated efforts to address HIV in Black communities, progress of the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. initiative, and the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (2022–2025) (NHAS).

The updated NHAS highlights Black gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, and Black women, including transgender women as populations disproportionately impacted by HIV. 

Dr. Timothy Harrison, Deputy Director for Strategic Initiatives and Senior Policy Advisor, OIDP, moderated the conversation and led the question-and-answer session with participants. During the 30-minute conversation, attendees heard from:

• Harold Phillips, Director, The White House Office of National AIDS Policy.
• Kaye Hayes, Acting Director, Department of Health and Human Services, OIDP, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, and Executive Director of the Presidential Advisory Committee on HIV/AIDS (PACHA).
• Kayla Quimbley, National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Ambassador, Advocates for YouthExit Disclaimer and PACHA member.

During the conversation, Harold noted that “HIV still disproportionately affects our community. And when we talk about social determinants of health, mental health and wellness, sexual health education, and health literacy education, we need more of all of that within our Black community in order to help us end the HIV epidemic.”

Dr. Harrison asked the participants what it means to promote health equity in the context of NBHAAD. In response, Kayla Quimbley stated: “One of the things we have to speak about when promoting health equity is identifying the barriers that people face.”
Participants also discussed what they’re excited about for the future of ending the HIV epidemic in the United States. Their responses included the federal implementation of NHAS, expanded access to HIV prevention medications, community engagement, and scaling up access to HIV testing, including HIV self-testing.
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