by Emili Ema Sedlar
August 8, 2018: The Internet has become a remarkable, free tool for sharing stories. I have noticed so many people living with HIV revealing their stories and sharing some of their greatest challenges post-diagnosis. Many online activists and educators try to support the newly diagnosed so they can share their concerns. Sometimes, they even turn to art to tell their stories and use creative ways to cover what some would consider to be the most tragic moments.
One of the people that has shown phenomenal bravery and wit is Stephen Hart. Some may be familiar with him from his YouTube channel, Hart Talks, where his topics include HIV/AIDS, culture and politics. His videos also capture intriguing interviews with many notable activists, one of whom is Bruce Richman.
“So many people tell me their stories and often these are stories that have never been told to another living person so it’s a huge weight that can be lifted just to know that one person in the world knows what they went through. Then there are the ones that shock me like a young man named Richard who asked me to be part of a documentary he was making and ended up telling his story on my channel after the work he saw I was doing! I remember we were sitting filming in a park in New York and he said that he had never uttered the words I am HIV-positive outdoors before! This was really powerful for me that he trusted me by telling his story on Hart Talks,” signified Hart.
Before his YouTube channel, he wrote a one-man show called Shadowed Dreamer, where Harts introduces his lived experience to his audience. “I was motivated by the secrets that I had grown up with, by the secrets that I was continuing to hold onto in my adult life and by the damage these secrets were doing to me as I got older. It took about six months to get it written and until my first performance”, discovered Hart. “As far as the critics go, The New York Times has written how the play was ‘Breathtaking, groundbreaking, vital theater that needs to be seen.'”
Topics in the play include rape, homelessness, dreams, love, abuse, and the concept that no matter what you go through in life, there is always hope and the belief that there will be a glorious change. “The reactions to my show were tears, hugs, love, understanding, sharing of stories, anger, disbelief and shock,” revealed Hart.
Hart hopes to inspire other activists, educators and artists. “Tell your story with truth, heart and compassion for your audience and yourself and know that your story could be that one story that makes a difference to someone’s life”, expressed Hart.
To find out more about Stephen Hart. Please check out his YouTube channel.