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My final day as PWN’s co-executive director is finally here. Serving in this role for the past four years has been one of the greatest honors of my life. As a staff member, making the decision to leave PWN was difficult, and I spent the past several months thinking about the incredible journey that brought me to this point. I joined PWN in 2014, co-founded the Greater Houston Area chapter in 2015, and later co-founded the Texas Chapter in 2016. In 2015, I joined the board of directors, accepted the position of deputy director in 2018, and in 2020, Naina Khanna and I became the first co-executive directors. My decision may not be what most expected, but I hope you will join me in celebrating all we have done together and the work we still have to do.

Here are a few accomplishments that we were able to make happen over the last four years:

  • Uplifted and centered the leadership of Black women in all PWN activities.
  • Expanded our practice of economic justice by compensating members for their labor in all PWN-related work and developed annual funding for all chapters and member leaders.
  • Founded the Black Women’s Healing Justice Collective to address the healing and liberation of Black PWN founders, staff, and board members.
  • Established an annual day to Celebrate and Honor Black Women in the HIV Movement to acknowledge the vital contribution of Black women to the HIV movement.
  • Supported the leadership of countless PWN members.  
  • Developed PWN’s Texas Strike Force, a renowned statewide advocacy coalition led by Texans living with HIV.
  • Created a southern regional space for all advocates who live and work in the south to learn, share and organize on issues important to the south.  
  • Championed issues of racial justice throughout the field; Co-founded HIV Racial Justice Now!, a coalition of people of color leaders advancing racial justice in the HIV response; co-authored Declaration of Liberation: Building a Racially Just and Strategic Domestic HIV Response (Nov. 2017) that has been used as a framework for countless organizations.  
  • Worked with Funders Concerned About AIDS to establish a racial justice working group for funders which led to the development of the Racial Justice in HIV Philanthropy Guiding Principles (2021).

It has been my absolute pleasure to work with Naina Khanna as a co-conspirator, partner in crime, teacher, colleague, and friend. Naina, you are a true visionary! I learned so much from you about leadership and service. I have seen what you do and how much you give, up close and personal. Thank you for believing in me and trusting my leadership. To the staff, thank you for the laugh, tears, teamwork, and brilliance. My job over the last four years was keeping up with you all. You are the most dedicated and inspiring people I have had the pleasure of working with. To PWN members, I am inspired by each and every one of you. You all have taught me what leadership means. Thank you for trusting me. You all will forever be a part of me and it is a privilege to be part of the PWN family.  

I know my leadership tenure at PWN did not unfold as we had planned. But I want everyone to know that I decided to resign to make space for a greater work-life balance and support the next generation of leaders. It has always been my mission to support the leadership of others, and I hope, by stepping down, to make space for other Black women living with HIV to step up. I will remain involved in PWN and continue to support the leadership of all people living with HIV, Black women, and the south. I am grateful for PWN, its staff, our members, and all of the extraordinary leaders I have had the pleasure of working with. I am not saying goodbye because I will remain an active member of PWN and hope you all will join me. After all, we still have work to do. You all made me a better person and enriched my life deeply. I love you all, and I will not stop until we win!  

Always in sisterhood and solidarity,

Venita Ray