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Roselyn Brickenstein (South Carolina)
Roselyn Brickenstein is a current community representative of the S.C. HIV Planning Council, co-chair of the Prevention Committee. She works with different AIDS service organizations around S.C. and overseas, including AHF, Unity Empowerment Resource Center, Autism Society, and Wings of Hope based in Cape Town, South Africa. She is looking forward to learning how to be a Fellow and advocate for women around the world and her community.
Mona Jessi Cartwright-Biggs (Texas)
Mona Jessi grew up in upstate New York. She attended Catholic school as the single Black in her class from 3rd-8th grade. She survived the trauma of incest, marrying a Vietnam vet, IPV, and relocating to Michigan. She survived unapologetically and concluding that an alternate lifestyle would be a better fit, she relocated to Texas. She is credentialed with an AA in criminal justice and a BS in human services. She succeeded as a case manager with various organizations. She is an exceptional people person, with a passion for social justice and volunteering. She is a survivor of breast cancer, Hep C, HIV and has spent over 30 years in recovery.
Shelia Crockett (Texas)
Shelia A Crockett was diagnosed HIV+ on September 17, 1991. Although some would say they would have truly given up she couldn’t. She had a purpose. She just had to make it to the light. She loves where she is in life now, she’s free and not hidden from the past. Some wouldn’t want to be in this place right now, to have this disease, but not her because it’s her starting point in life. He the Father has been with her the entire trip; she just had to catch up.
Tuyishime Claire Gasamagera (Michigan)
Tuyishime Claire was born with HIV in the early 1980’s. She survived AIDS and is now a mother. Since 2001, She has done extensive work with young people and women living with HIV at the national (Rwanda and United States) , regional (North America and Canada), and global levels with UNAIDS, UN WOMEN, UNFPA, UNDP, UNICEF , Global Fund, International AIDS Society, and HIV Young Leaders Funds. She is a co-founder of A.R.I.S.E (Association of Refugees, Immigrants and Survivors of Human Trafficking Engage in the AIDS Response), a nonprofit organization of immigrants living with HIV and those affected by HIV and AIDS. Tuyishime Claire serves as a Council member of the SE Michigan AIDS Council as well as a member of the Ryan White Part D Community Advisory Group for women living with HIV in the Detroit Metropolitan Area. She is also the author of “Beyond Perils”, a memoir about her survival of the both the Rwandan 1994 genocide and AIDS.
Roxanne Glapion (Texas)
Roxanne Glapion is a survivor. She was born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is a daughter, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, and confidant. She was diagnosed HIV+ in 2004 while working at Charity Hospital as a Unit Secretary. Her life turned upside down. Her partner at the time, very close friends, and family made her see that HIV is a part of her, not who she is. She relocated to Dallas in August 2005, one week before Hurricane Katrina. In Dallas, she was referred to A Sister’s Gift Women’s Center, the only all female based ASO in Dallas. The CEO, Mrs. Edwards, has taken Roxanne under her wing for the last 9 years. Under her guidance, Roxanne has become the Assistant Executive Director of A Sister’s Gift, Group Facilitator, Director of Programs, and a member of the Care Team. She has also branched out to become one of the co-chairs of the newly formed PWN-USA Texas, Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter.
Kriss Harper (Washington)
Kris
s Harper is committed to leadership, education, and social justice. They advocate for policy to create positive social change for multiple marginalized populations including PLWHIV. Most importantly, their ability to accomplish goals was demonstrated when they earned a graduate certificate from the University of Washington’s Islandwood program and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Washington State University. Additionally, they had the honor of serving with City Year Seattle/King-County and with the Washington State Reading Core as an Americorps member and with an environmental organization, Olga Irwin (Ohio)
Olga Irwin studied at Youngstown State University and became a licensed social worker in 2009. She was diagnosed with AIDS in 1999. Since her diagnosis she has become involved in the HIV community, starting with joining support groups, which were only offered for gay men in her area. She found more support systems through the Internet, HIV clinics, and Ryan White case managers. Now Olga is a member of Ohio AIDS Coalition, Ohio Community Prevention Group, Ryan White Care Advisory board, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, Campaign to End AIDS, and is also the Co-Chair of Positive Women’s Network-USA-Ohio.Kneeshe Parkinson (Missouri)
Kneeshe Parkinson is an HIV Specialist certified by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO. As a Certified Health Coach, Kneeshe has led the charge in diagnosis, treatment adherence, counseling, prevention, harm reduction, and community education for 20 years. She started her career in the late 90’s in the HIV/AIDS field at Washington University School of Medicine/Project ARK. She works to educate the community on HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C prevention, addiction, harm reduction, and addressing stigma. Kneeshe is active on the authorship/steering committee for ViiV Healthcare. She is currently working with National Quality Center on the CQ II Infinite Collaborative. Kneeshe has been inducted into the 2020 Leading Women’s Society under the leadership of Sister Love founder by Dazon Dillon.
Tana Pradia (Texas)
Tana Pradia is a mother of three children, a grandmother, and a great-grandmother. She has been living with HIV since 1999, after almost dying from TB and having a T-Cell count of 14 and a viral load that was out of control. After being given a second chance, she became a patient mentor at Thomas street. She took a Project Leap Class at RWPC and now sits on the planning council and is the co-chair of the affective community. From there, she joined the Positive Organizing Project to learn how to advocate and she has been one of the mentors for the last three years. She is one of the Co-Founders and Co-Chairs of PWN-GHA chapter, now the Texas Chapter. Tana is one of Trainers for AIDS United POP grant that was awarded to the Texas Chapter.
Aracelis Quinones (New York)
Aracelis learned she was HIV positive 31 years ago. For the past 16 years she has been the group coordinator of Poder Latino, a group of HIV-positive Latinos that meet once a month for training on AIDS policy, advocacy, and ways to continue taking care of themselves in order to improve their health and self-esteem. She has also battled Hepatitis C and skin cancer. She is a mother of 2 boys ages 35 and 30 and a grandmother to a 13 year-old granddaughter. Her motto is: unite, stay together, and love each other if we want to accomplish what we want in life.Marnina Ross-Miller (Texas)
Marnina Ross-Miller is an international human rights activist. She fell in love with advocacy after joining the Positive Organizing Project, a movement that trains People Living With HIV on how to become effective advocates. She has since gone on to facilitate workshops on anti-stigmatizing language, leadership, sex positivity and community organizing. Her non-profit organization, Florida’s Sunshine, recently had their first event “Let’s Talk About Sex: The Millennials Takeover.” The event released the stigma of HIV among young adults and opened up the conversation about sex positivity. Meta Smith-Davis (Louisiana)
Meta is a 61-year-old daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, a true Leo, and a Black female living with HIV. Meta is a native of Baton Rouge, LA. She is employed at HAART HIV/AIDS Alliance for Region 2 as the Assistant Director of Prevention, in Baton Rouge. She is a member of Positive Women’s Network-USA and co-chair for PWN- Louisiana. She is also the Baton Rouge Stigma Index Project Coordinator. She was inducted into the 20/20 Leading Women Society, an organization dedicated to women living with HIV.
In 2015, she is became a PWN-USA Leadership Training Graduate, Advocate, and Activist. She is also a BLOC graduate and Mentor for BLOC recent graduates. She is also actively involved in helping PLWHIV be empowered to advocate for themselves, but while they are making that transition, she is honored and glad to be their voice. She believes that “we are the answer we have been waiting for”.
LaDawn Tate (Michigan)
LaDawn D. Tate was born January 9, 1982 in Detroit, Michigan. She grew up in Highland Park where she was raised by her grandmother, Myrtice Malunda. At the age of 16, she was legally emancipated and she had to learn how to survive in the world on her own. LaDawn is a person who has faced many challenges in life and never let those challenges stop her from being a person that lives, laughs and loves. She is a loving mother of her two boys Jimaz Stanley-Tate (18) and Michael Getter Jr. (11). She is now a Human Inspirational Vessel.
Prizila Vidal (California)
As a local foster youth, LGBTQIA, and HIV/AIDS activist, Prizila Vidal has continued to advocate for foster youth. Both working with youth during the coming out process and during the transitional ages of 18-24. She works to link young adults to housing, education, and employment resources. Her journey with HIV brought her to the Mother, Child and Adolescent Program (MCAP) at UC San Diego, where she continues to volunteer as a speaker for events and workshops.
At the age of 24, she had aged out of the MCAP Program. Before she was diagnosed, she did not know anything about HIV/AIDS. Afterwards, she knew that she had to do something. She decided to bring up the controversial topic to anyone and everyone that she could. These days besides her regular job as a Residential Counselor for homeless youth, she is an educator on HIV/AIDS.