Our Shero of the Month for June 2018 is Stacy Jennings of Columbia, South Carolina, who often says, “nothing beats a failure but a try.” PWN’s membership engagement coordinator Evany Turk says, “Stacy is a warm soul. Every time I’m in her presence or I’ve worked with her, she always exudes peace. Working with her has been a great experience as well, because she always leaves an amazing gem in the space she was in that’s almost impossible to forget.” Waheedah Shabazz-El, PWN’s organizing director, added, “Stacy is a fighter. She exudes confidence and has shown resilience.”
Stacy is a motivational speaker, a poet and an advocate at heart. She has passion in all that she does, and she loves with her whole heart. When asked how long she has been an advocate, she says from birth. Stacy asserts she was born advocating: crying when hungry, thirsty, wet, or tired was her way of letting her mother know what she needed. Stacy will stop at nothing to make a difference. She is a co-chair and communications rep of the SC PWN-USA regional chapter, a member spokesperson for PWN, a PWN policy fellowship graduate, a participant in the PWN organizing workgroup (POD), and an HIV Criminalization Ambassador, just to name a few. She was also featured in two videos in our PWNCares series: Undetectable=Untransmittable and Disclosure: It’s Complicated.
When asked what inspired her to become an advocate, Stacy replied, “The inspiration comes from me being a nurturer by nature. I feel the need to not only advocate for myself, but also for my brothers and sisters who haven’t learned how.”
When asked what she considered to be her greatest achievement in her advocacy, Stacy said, “When I was discriminated against on my job back in 2012, I was mistreated and was told that they did not make special accommodations for anyone. At that moment I was furious; however not enough, until I almost lost my life because of ignorance and lack of knowledge. I fought for my rights and the rights of many others and because of that advocacy, I won my case without an attorney, and my lawsuit had to be posted on their information board so that everyone could be aware of their rights to be treated fairly. This was one of the greatest moments in advocacy because I made a difference, not only for myself but for many others. “
Stacy has chosen to advocate in a variety of ways. One way she advocates is through her poetry. “I’ve decided to incorporate poetry into my advocacy because it helps others to understand where I’m coming from and how deep I can go with what I learn and how I learn. I write with the passion to change lives. As a young lady, I started writing as a gateway to my healing, as a way to make a difference, and as a way to gain the power to my freedom. Writing became a therapeutic tool for me and for those that have a desire to partake of it. My writing strengthens my message because I express it and as I speak it, it encourages, uplifts, heals and brings about happiness and an inner peace so profound that all can be free. I shall turn hearts forever because I will never stop raising my voice through the spoken word.”