Our August Shero of the Month is Mary Annjurene Keyes, known to most in the HIV advocacy community as Anjie, of Kansas City, MO.
Anjie acquired HIV 24 years ago as a result of rape; but she found purpose in her diagnosis, which laid the groundwork for her advocacy. She currently works with people battling addiction through counseling, referrals and education with the goal of increasing their skill set in living drug-free.
Anjie has a long history of advocacy work as a motivational speaker and facilitator. Her proudest accomplishment happened on May 9, 2018, when she launched Positively Rare Enterprise. “I am most proud that my advocacy has empowered me to be in a position to start my own organization in which the target demographic is women living with and affected by HIV who are battling the effects of stigma,” she explained. “It is important to me because it allows people to move toward their own triumphs and find their resilience to move past the stigma of HIV and achieve personal freedom.”
Anjie remembers the driving force to her self-empowerment: “My mentor, Marva Miller, was a woman living with HIV and the founder of Women on a Mission. She took me under her wing and I accompanied her to planning councils. She talked me through my self-esteem issues and my personal struggles. She introduced me to the HIV community through education. I benefited from the education, support and empowerment to reach other women.”
Anjie has devoted her life to advocacy work because of the fulfillment it provides. “The most rewarding thing about my advocacy work is seeing other people move past stigma in order to live free, not in fear or in hiding,” she recalled. When asked what she would change if she could, she answered, “I would change the public’s perception of HIV to remind people that it is a human disease. It does not target specific demographics because of sexual preference.”
Congratulations Anjie Keyes! The work will get done with advocates like you pushing the agenda! We look forward to sharing more space with you in the future.