Hey John,

Welcome to CommuniTEA's Week of Action for National Women and Girls HIV & AIDS Awareness Day. CommuniTEA is our program focused on centering Black women and girls in HIV prevention, treatment, destigmatization, and decriminalization. We said we'd give you plenty of time to prep before Sunday's awareness day, so here we are with the Social Media Toolkit we promised!

Remember, we're trying to move away from stigmatizing language about HIV risk, and change the narrative to focus on REASONS that motivate and empower Black women and girls to address their sexual health. That's why we want you to use #RiskToReasons in your posts! We're also a partner in the CDC's #StopHIVTogether initiative and encourage you to use that hashtag as well.

You can use the toolkit to inspire what you'll post Sunday, or copy/paste exactly. Whatever is easiest for you or your organization.

Below is a list of what else we're doing this week, including the first event tomorrow!

Check out this week's schedule

TUESDAY, 3/5 @ 7pm EST - Picture Perfect: Reframing the Narrative about Young Women and HIV in the Media

RSVP here to join us for a discussion about how news coverage, songs, TV, and movies play a vital role in shaping our thoughts and assumptions about young Black women & girls and HIV. This dynamic workshop will help us unlearn the stereotypical framing of HIV as it relates to Black women and girls and learn some ways we can reframe the narrative to support reducing HIV stigma and advocate for more access to prevention and treatment options. Come out to learn and share with LáDeia Joyce and Peggy. RSVP here.

WEDNESDAY, 3/6 - Take Action: #SaveHIVFunding

The House of Representatives has proposed an astonishing $767 million in cuts to HIV funding - essential programs like the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative and the Ryan White Program! We need to rally to #SaveHIVFunding. Take action here, and use Wednesday, March 6th, to share this letter-writing action online and with your community.

THURSDAY, 3/7 @ 7pm EST - Love Letters to Black Women: Exploring Healthy Relationships through the Lens of HIV Advocacy

RSVP to join us for a dynamic workshop led by Naiymah and Karmella about how HIV stigma and myths impact how young Black women and girls engage in relationships in their lives. Together, we will explore how to take what we know about healthy relationships, HIV advocacy, and black culture and apply it to our relationships with partners, friends, and family. Register here.

SUNDAY, 3/10 - Meet our CommuniTEA Youth Ambassadors

Happy Women and Girls National HIV & AIDS Awareness Day!! Use the Social Media Toolkit to post, and be sure to visit our Instagram page to learn more about our 10 youth activists that will be working on the CommuniTEA project.

In solidarity,

Char'Lee Marie King
Manager, HIV Campaigns
Advocates for Youth

P.S. The CommuniTEA Week of Action is funded and supported by ViiV Healthcare's Positive Action Risk to Reasons Initiative

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