💐 Honoring Our Movement Mothers This
Black History Month! 💐

In honor of Black History Month and National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, we proudly celebrate the powerful legacy of Black women in the HIV movement. Throughout the month on social media, we have been highlighting PWN’s Movement Mothers from Celebrate and Honor Black Women (CHBW) 2022—honoring the trailblazers whose courage, advocacy, and resilience have paved the way for our collective liberation.

Black history is the foundation of the work we do at PWN. It is a testament to the power of resistance, community, and transformation. We uplift and honor the freedom fighters who have fought—and continue to fight—for the rights, dignity, and liberation of all people living with HIV. Honoring those who came before us is not just remembrance—it is a call to action. Their legacy is our guide, and their work fuels our movement forward.
 

🔥 Apply to Be a Policy Fellow Today! 🔥

PWN’s policy fellowship seeks to build the pipeline of well-informed and strategic policy advocates who come directly from the communities most impacted by the HIV epidemic in the United States – PWN members, especially BIPOC, transgender and gender diverse members – through training, coaching, and real world practice in policy advocacy.

Past fellows have led state-wide campaigns to modernize HIV criminalization laws, testified at Congressional briefings, organized advocacy days at their state capitol, created a rapid response team to mobilize the HIV community during the legislative session, and so much more. Every year, PWN Policy Fellows grow the number of women and trans & gender diverse people living with HIV who take the lead in local, state, and federal policy spaces. Is it your turn this year? 👀

  • Completely virtual
  • May 2025 - June 2026 trainings, coaching, & 1:1 mentoring
  • $250 monthly stipend
  • Open to cis & trans women & trans & gender diverse (TGD) folks living with HIV, anywhere in the U.S.
  • Click HERE for an in-depth description of the fellowship
 

📢 Let Us Know If You're Attending
AIDSWatch 2025! 📢

Hey PWN members! Are you attending AIDSWatch 2025 in Washington, D.C. from March 31 - April 2nd? Connect with us and let us know what kind of support you might need.

We will be hosting a call for PWN members going to the conference and there will be t-shirts. The best way to stay updated is signing up on the form! PWN is gonna show up and show out like we do every year, come join us!
 

🕯 Honoring Sharon DeCuir 🕯

Sharon DeCuir, PWN leader and reproductive justice champion for all women living with HIV in Louisiana, has joined the ancestors. Please join us in celebrating & honoring the life of our late sister, leader, and friend. We will forever keep her in our hearts as we continue our work to create a better world for all of our members. ❤️ Read our full tribute to Sharon here.
 

February Shero of the Month:
👑 Stephanie Knupsky of PA! 👑

Congratulations to our February 2025 Shero of the Month, Stephanie Knupsky (she/her) of Pennsylvania!

A graduate of 32BJ SEIU's first Social Justice Leadership Academy, Stephanie has been active in organizing and social justice movements for over 10 years. She has been a PWN-PA chapter member for several years, throwing down with their voter engagement campaigns for several cycles. She currently serves as the voter engagement phone bank co-lead and recently joined PWN's Board of Directors!

Stephanie describes herself as an artist, activist, & accomplice. She assisted the chapter's voter campaigns in expanding their reach into Western PA, and even recruited her family to become phone bank staff. We are so proud to honor Stephanie as our February Shero! 💐

This interview was hosted by our previous Shero of the Month Ruby Garner (she/her) of NY. Listen to the full conversation by clicking below! 
 

❤️ What Are We Celebrating This Month? ❤️

😍 Shout out to Rica Muñeca Rodríguez for being uplifted in Community Highlights by Voyage Denver! Read the full article here.

🎉 Join us in celebrating Melanie Reese for receiving the Social Impact Award at the HIV Pathway to Congress!

People living with HIV are strong and resilient, and every day holds something to celebrate. Submit anything you want to celebrated, from getting appointed to a Community Advisory Board or giving a shout out to your fav PWN-er. There's nothing too small to be celebrated - let's uplift all of the joy and wins in our communities! 🤠
 

Rest & Restore: A Radical Healing Space

PWN-USA members are invited to join us this Friday, 02/28/25 at 7PM ET/6PM CT/5PM MT/4PM PT/1PM HT for our Rest & Restore radical healing space! Lepena Reid will guide us through wellness & mindfulness activities & practices. Come along on our healing justice journey & register here!

Sister Circle - Virtual Support Group

Are you a PWN member living with HIV? Join our virtual support group, Sister Circle, for a space to release, connect, and find peace! ✨ Join us Thursday, 03/06/25 at 8PM ET/7PM CT/6PM MT/5PM PT/2PM HT. Registration required to attend: bit.ly/PWNCARES (all caps). Hope to see you there! 💗

Upcoming Chapter & Member Events

2025 Detroit Black HIV Awareness Summit hosted by The Detroit Health Department – Ending the HIV Epidemic Program on Friday, 02/28/25 from 9AM – 3PM. Register here!

National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day event hosted by Michigan Department of Health & Human Services on 03/06/25 at 9AM. Register here!
 
 
 

If you've been to a PWN celebration in the past few years, then you've grooved to the song stylings of our very own DJ Big Sal, a.k.a. Sallie Thomas - the decriminalization specialist on our policy team. Now she's bringing you a song selection to get your joy on! 

You can check out our previous celebration playlists on Spotify HERE!
 

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