Our January 2020 Shero of the Month is Lizzie Bellamy of Longs, South Carolina. Lizzie is currently PWN-USA South Carolina co-chair and a lead member on the SC Powerhouses Organizing for Power Team. Lizzie is as an advocate to be sure–but before all her accomplishments and leadership roles in advocacy, she is a mother and custodial grandmother. Though you could never tell it from looking at this fabulous and fierce “Glam-Ma,” she is considered the matriarch of her family. PWN Communication and Training Assistant Tiommi Luckett said, “Lizzie is just an all-around wonderful human being whom I have been honored to share space with, because she is passionate about her advocacy and learning, and you still get that maternal assurance that all will be well when in her presence.” Lizzie was diagnosed with HIV in 1997. Today, at 43, she is a mother of five children and a custodial grandmother for two of her eleven grandchildren, while being an HIV advocate, peer mentor, and humanitarian. She reflected on becoming a custodial grandmother in 2019 and the challenges it presented, despite the joy is also brought to her life. She has been able to engage in advocacy activities because of the PWN sisterhood in South Carolina. When she needed encouragement, they were there. When she needed a babysitter, they were there. She said, “When I started advocating, my kids and family were always in my thoughts. My kids were still young, dealing with stigma in school, on the bus, and in the community. We had a sit-down, and I told them I wanted to be an HIV advocate.”
While her children were coming to grips with her newfound interest and what it could mean for them as a family, Lizzie kept going to support groups and attending HIV awareness events. Lizzie considered her family’s feelings before entering the advocacy world. Together, they decided Lizzie could advocate so long as she did not work in the area where her daughter went to school. That changed by the time Azariah was in eleventh grade. Over the years, her family grew so comfortable with Lizzie’s status and the advocate she had become that they have invited her to speak at events. Being co-chair of the PWN-USA South Carolina chapter is both rewarding and challenging. She says attending the Speak Up! Summit in Myrtle Beach opened her eyes to all kinds of possibilities. She became more intrigued with each session she attended during the summit and with the confidence and resilience of the women who were presenting and who sat beside her in the audience. Because of the diversity in the audience, Lizzie learned more ways to be meaningfully involved in advocacy.
Lizzie said her experience with the PWN Policy Fellowship opened her up to what HIV policy meant for her life. She said the chapter upholds the dignity and rights of all women living with HIV. When she learned a leadership position within the chapter became available, she saw it as a chance to be a more effective advocate and has embraced the PWN motto of “Sisterhood, Solidarity, Action.” She said, “In 2020 our SC chapter will be engaging in get out the vote efforts in the state, including voter registration and educating people on the importance of completing the 2020 census. Our HIV is Not A Crime Ambassadors will be working on modernizing our HIV laws, and we will continue to recruit, uplift and support to build leadership, change policy and eliminate stigma and mobilize the community.”
Congratulations Lizzie! We look forward to continued sisterhood, solidarity and action!