Celebrate and Honor our HIV Trailblazers

Venita Ray
(she/her)
House of Revolution

As described by her beloved community, Venita Ray is a bold visionary of the new age HIV movement. Venita inspires us with her transformative and energetic leadership and is a fierce racial justice warrior. Through her work she is shifting the way the field sees HIV as a racial justice issue. Venita served as PWN’s first Black Co-Executive Director and built the very foundation of our annual Celebrate and Honor Black Women in the HIV Movement. For over 40 years, Venita has mobilized activists, been a source of strength, and courageously created a community where Black women living with HIV are uplifted, respected, and most of all loved.

Raniyah Copeland
(she/her)
House of Revolution

Raniyah Copeland is one of the most brilliant thought leaders working in the HIV movement. She has trained and inspired many people especially in the Black community across the United States. In 2019, the Root named her one of the ‘100 Most Influential African Americans.’ Raniyah Copeland is an opinion leader and seasoned advocate leading the charge to end HIV in Black communities. She has dedicated years to advancing health, racial, and gender equity, and served as the first Black woman CEO and President of the Black AIDS Institute. Raniyah founded her own consulting firm Equity & Impact Solutions, and continues to push forward to a better tomorrow for her community.

Kamaria Laffrey
(she/her)
House of Revolution

Kamaria is Black girl magic personified. Her leadership is focused on liberating the hearts and minds of women living with HIV, especially Black women. Kamaria is full of heart and compassion and is known to be spiritual, unapologetic, inspiring, and a beautiful soul. In addition to serving as the first Black Co-Executive Director of The Sero Project, she leads her own consulting firm, emPOWERed Legacies. She helps support and develop self-esteem, self-value, and empowerment to speak against injustices for women and girls living with HIV/AIDS. Kamaria continues to lead the way forward; inspiring hope, radical love, power, and healing for Black women living with HIV.

Ciarra “Ci Ci” Covin
(she/her)
House of Renaissance

Ciarra “Ci Ci” Covin is an international maternal and family wellness advocate/activist dedicated to advancing the rights for women living with HIV and their children. As a woman living with HIV in the U.S., CiCi has birthed two children (and breastfed one) who are both HIV-negative. In the role of program manager at The Well Project, Ci Ci has been afforded the opportunity to help advance the discussion around infant feeding and HIV. She is a fearless defender of bodily autonomy for Black women living with HIV, a torch snatcher, and a cherished advocate in her community.

Toni-Michelle Williams
(she/her)
House of Renaissance

Toni-Michelle is an entertainer, mothaaa of many, and the Executive Director of the Solutions NOT Punishment Collaborative! Affectionately known as SnapCo, they are a collective of Black and trans abolitionists in Atlanta committed to keeping their community members safe, informed, and lit while building community power. Toni-Michelle’s approach to activism is honest, authentic, and a flair that reminds people that women of trans experience are here, they are bold, and will never be pushed quietly into the margins.

Marnina “The Queen” Miller
(she/her)
House of Influence

As one of our very own board members, Marnina is deeply committed to and fiercely loved by her PWN family. She takes great honor in being a leader in the community, and fights back in a world where bodily autonomy is being challenged. Marnina says “every day we continue to thrive is resistance in the face of anti-Blackness and colonialism,” and she is dedicated to healing and loving herself every single day. That’s why she is Marnina, THE Queen.

Shadawn McCants
(she/her)
House of Influence

Shadawn is a beautiful, bold Black woman living with HIV who is also a licensed counselor, using her lived experiences to help others on their journey. She is a dynamic motivational speaker, trainer, and leader with over 15 years of experience; on the quest to end the HIV epidemic and other disparities with a specific focus on Black Women’s Liberation. As Shadawn says: “Every heel has a sole, and every soul needs healing.”

Masonia Traylor
(she/her)
House of Torch Snatchers

As a mother, speaker, HIV/AIDS activist, and CEO/Founder of “Lady BurgAndy,” Masonia has a demonstrated history of advocacy and community engagement. She is a leader in advocating for women living with HIV, and holds positions on various community advisory boards and committees, such as being appointed the 2nd Vice-Chair of the Metropolitan Atlanta HIV Health Services Planning Council. Masonia has reached over 100,000 adolescents and young adults, as well as millions of individuals around the world, empowering and educating them on HIV/AIDS.

Kayla Gore
(she/her)
House of Torch Snatchers

As Co-Founder and Executive Director of My Sistah’s House Memphis, Kayla Rena Gore works to help coordinate homeless services, conduct direct outreach, and advocate for the rights of TLGBQ people, especially transgender women. Her organizing work includes fighting for housing equity for all people who are chronically homeless and advocating for the just treatment of transgender people by law enforcement. “Visibility is important because it humanizes our existence, making sure younger TGNC people know they belong and that someone is fighting like hell… so they don’t have to.”

Deirdre “Speaks” Johnson
(she/her)
House of Torch Snatchers

Deirdre “Speaks” Johnson is the Co-Founder of Ending Criminalization of HIV and Over-Incarceration in Virginia (ECHO VA), a vast network of multiracial and gender inclusive Virginians led by people living with HIV and their allies, fighting for freedom from stigma and injustice for all. She is also the National Program & Strategic Planning Manager at The Sero Project, state lead for PWN, a graduate of our 2019 Policy Fellowship, a member of SisterLove, Inc. 2020 Leading Women’s Society, a U=U Ambassador. With a bold and captivating personality, she hosts a nightly Facebook show as Deirdre Speaks on medical and medicine adherence along with other topics relevant to people living with HIV.

Honoring the memory of 
Tiffany Marrero
(she/her/ella)

Tiffany Marrero (10/14/1991 – 05/07/2023) was an incredible presence and joy to be around. She lifted us up with her laughter, joy, radical authenticity, and her willingness to call things as they were. She was unapologetically Black, sex positive, and the uncontested crop top queen of our movement. We are holding our community close at this time – especially our beloved Dandelions. We love you, Tiff. Fly free.

Honoring the memory of 
Rymsky Evans
(she/her/hers)

Rymsky Evans (11/07/1979 – 05/10/2023) was a loving mother and fierce advocate for Black women living with HIV in the South. Rysmky proudly served as the first PWN State Lead for Mississippi as well as an advocate in the very first cohort of the HNP Advocates Project. She was a passionate organizer and had so many freedom dreams for her community. She never failed to lead with love, and bring great energy and incredible vision to all of the movement spaces she occupied. Her willingness to grow and learn in service of her community will be missed. She will be missed. We love you, Rymsky. Rest in Power.

Tana Pradia
(she/her)
Member Nominee

Tana has quickly become a dedicated and trusted leader in the HIV movement. She uses her voice to amplify and build the leadership of other upcoming advocates. This can be seen in the PWN-Texas, Greater Houston Area chapter she helped to co-found. She is passionate about advocacy, decriminalizing HIV in the U.S., and sits at many decision making tables to ensure the leadership of women, especially Black women living with HIV is elevated. A fun fact about Tana is she helped to name Liberation Way – the road leading up to the 2023 Celebrate and Honor Black in the HIV movement – to ensure we are having important dialogue about anti-Blackness in the HIV movement. In her words, “this is about liberation.”