July 29, 2025 • 25 mins
HIV isn’t over — it’s just been ignored. Black women account for a disproportionate number of new cases, the South is ground zero, and the stigma is still killing us. Roland Martin, Dr. Toyin Nwafor, Raheem DeVaughn, and frontline organizers break the silence on a public health crisis America refuses to face.
In response to this staggering trend, Gilead Sciences has launched the Setting the P.A.C.E. initiative. The Prevention, Arts and Advocacy, Community, and Education program is a three-year, $12.6 million commitment aimed at expanding HIV prevention efforts in underserved communities.
Dr. Toyin Nwafor, Executive Director of Gilead U.S. HIV Medical Affairs, and Raheem DeVaughn, an award-winning musician and partner in the Gilead Setting the P.A.C.E. initiative.
🔥 Undiagnosed. Untreated. Unheard.
🔥 Black women make up 53% of new HIV cases among women — but get the least attention
🔥 “Stigma is still killing us.” — Dr. Toyin Nwafor
🔥 The South is ground zero for new HIV diagnoses — and it’s not getting better
🔥 Raheem DeVaughn joins to amplify awareness, justice, and real community healing
For more information about the P.A.C.E. initiative visit https://www.gilead.com/responsibility/giving-at-gilead/corporate-giving/strategic-initiatives/setting-the-pace
#HIVCrisis #BlackHealthMatters #RolandMartinUnfiltered #BlackStarNetwork
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Black women account for a disproportionate number of new HIV
(00:03):
diagnoses among women. Additionally, black transgender women experience the highest
rates of new HIV diagnoses amongst transgender people and are
more likely to remain undiagnosed and untreated compared to their peers.
In response to this staggering trend, Gilead Sciences has launched
the Setting the Pace Initiative, the Prevention, Arts and Advocacy
(00:24):
Committee and Education Program. It's a three year, twelve point
six million dollar commitment aimed at expanding HIV prevention efforts
and underserved communities. Joining us now is doctor Tooyan new
Wall four. Hopefully I prodounced that correctly, Executive director of
Gilead US HIV Medical Affairs, and also singer Raheem Devon,
who is partnering in the partnering with Gilead Setting the
(00:47):
Pace Initiative. Glad both of you joining us right now. Doc,
I want to go to you first, because so here's
the thing that jumps out and I've covered this story
for decades. When you go back to the initial AIDS
outbreak in the early nineteen eighties, it was essentially a
(01:07):
white gay men's disease. What ends up happening is you
have all of these different groups that are formed in
San Francisco, in Los Angeles, in New York targeting these
white gay men. Well, that actually played a huge role
in creating the LGBT community political advocacy organizations. What then
(01:29):
happens is battles, whether it was a Democratic president or
a Republican president, when you begin to see the numbers
and the impact on black people, you didn't see the
shift of the resources going from white gay male targeted
community to African Americans. And so a huge part of
(01:51):
this in the last decade or so has been this
consistent battle on the ground in cities like Houston and Chicago, Charlotte.
What was happening on HBCU campuses where the infrastructure, the
federal money, the infrastructure still is not keeping paid what
(02:11):
the data actually shows, doc, Can you hear me?
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yes? Yes, Oh, I wasn't sure that it was a question. Yeah,
So okay, great, Yeah, So thank you for kind of summarizing,
you know, the last couple of decades of what we're
seeing with HIV and when I started to take care
of people living with HIV in the middle nineties, we
did see that and we saw again over and over
again the discrepancy between what was happening in the communities
(02:43):
and what the data was showing and what the perception
and what the funding and all the realities of what
was happening with that. And I think what's important is
for us, like in the communities, in healthcare, in the media,
to be able to talk about this is the reality
of HIV in twenty twenty five. That there are still
thirty nine thousand new HIV diagnoses in the US in
(03:08):
twenty twenty twenty twenty three, and those numbers are disproportionally
impacting Black communities, where you know, up to thirty eight
to forty percent of new diagnoses I in Black people
though we make up less than fourteen percent of the population,
and women, especially when we think about one in five
(03:29):
new HIV diagnoses are in women, many of whom are
from heterosexual contact, and in those women, one in five
infections are in women, but fifty percent of those are
in Black women. So clearly what has happened over the
decades is that the reality of what is happening with HIV,
who's living with HIV, who's vulnerable to new HIV infections,
(03:52):
where the funding is what's happening at community is very different.
But where things are in the eighties and the perception
about way things are is very different. So it's becoming
really important for us to continue to have the conversation
but also think about what it is that we need
to do in the healthcare community, in industry, in the
community to change those numbers and make sure that we
(04:14):
drive solutions for the epidemic.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
When you talk about those numbers, a significant amount of
it is in the South, why.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Right, So again when we look at it, you are
absolutely correct, more than half of the new diagnoses of
HIV infection are in the South and in certain areas,
and I know we'll continue to talk about those numbers again.
Disproportionately impact people for a couple of reasons, right, So
we have factors that have to do with a lot
of social drivers of health and it's unfortunate. But the
(04:49):
reality is when we look at the diagnosis of new
HIV infections, when we look at the overlay of diabetes,
when we look at the overlay of obesity other chronic
cos we do see that disproportionate impact and it's multifactorial.
As you know, right, we have issues with obviously access,
access to good quality healthcare, access to culturally competent clinicians
(05:14):
who can have those conversations. We have issues with obviously
funding other social determinants of health that impair people's ability
to actually get care. But then also we also know
that there is misinformation, there's disinformation, there's stigma.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Stigma is a big.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Driver of why we still continue to see disparity, stigma
in the community, stigma in healthcare settings. And as long
as there's stigma, it's really hard to have the hard
conversations and the open conversations that need to happen around
sexual health, sexuality, talking about HIV prevention, talking about sexual health.
As long as there's stigma, and as long as we're
(05:51):
not having this conversation in an open, non judgmental, stigma
free way, we're going to see those disparities, and they're
layered on a lot of structural and social determinants and
drivers of health that remain in the country.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Raheem, why did you decide to join this effort?
Speaker 4 (06:12):
Well, you know, I'm no stranger Roller two community activism,
you know, having a love life foundation since twenty sixteen,
I work as it relates to domestic violence, and this
is no this is no different. The statistics outrageously you know,
it's super high. You know, Texas and Louisiana, Georgia, these
(06:37):
are like three of my like major markets as a
as a recording artist. You know, having influence, you know,
being in these communities for so long, you know, making
music that speaks you know, for the bedroom and into
intimacy as well, and you know, it gives me an
opportunity to do my part, you know, just in terms
of activism.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Obviously, when you think about again, over the last forty
five years, there's been no greater community that has really
focused on hivaas than the entertainment community, primarily because it
was it was the hardest hit by this in the
(07:18):
eighties and nineties. We're talking about dancers, actors, singers, a
lot of people who are behind the scenes as well,
and so you know, so you know, this is certainly
not new in terms of entertainers really taking this Manton.
When you think about the concerts that in the song
that Stevie Wonder of course Dion Warwick, Luther Vandros did.
(07:43):
When you think about the galas that Elton John has
raised millions and millions of Lizabeth Taylor as well. So
there's a long history of entertainers focusing on this.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Issue absolutely, you know, being on board with Gilead this
last year and a half has been it's been a blessing.
It has been you know, educational for me as well.
You know, last year we touched over forty thousand women,
had the opportunity to connect with over forty thousand women
in less than thirty days, you know, utilizing my tour
(08:15):
schedule to bring bring awareness to you know, disparities and
on what's going on in the community.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
And you know, just I didn't.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
Really I didn't really realize the impact until you know,
I'm in those lines every night and you know, different
people disclosing and letting me know, Hey, like I've been
HIV positive, you know since the nineties, or I lost
my mother, I lost my grandmother, or you know my
child has been diagnosed, or I've never been properly tested.
You know, can I get tested right now? So again,
(08:48):
you know, I like to call it a party with
a purpose and editatement as we call it. You know,
where there's an opportunity to fuse and lock in and
fuse education, you know, with entertainment doc.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
This is a three year, twelve point six minute commitment.
What does that actually cover, What does that involve? Is
that advertising, is that advocacy, is that on the ground activations.
What exactly is the initiative?
Speaker 2 (09:17):
It is a combination of all of those things, because
we do know that to truly talk about ending the
HIV epidemic for everyone, everywhere, and especially looking at communities
disproportion impacted like the black community, we really need to
approach it from a multipronct approach along the continuum where
people live, work, play, prayer and love, where we're talking
(09:39):
about community activation. We're talking about strategic community partnerships. We're
talking about education to the community, bringing on advocates and
community partners We're talking about educating healthcare providers so they
know the vital role that they play in dismantling stigma
and having open, non judgmental conversation, not just infectious disease
(10:02):
clinicians like myself, but primary care providers, O bgians and
so partnerships in that regard, partnerships with media, partnerships with journalists,
and media partnerships with community advocates, and really looking at
all the people that it would take because As was
mentioned before, stigma as long as their stigma. It impacts
(10:22):
people's ability to want to get an HIV test. It
impacts people ability to stay connected in care and stay
linked in care. So the more that we're able to
normalize HIV and the community conversations around it, the more
likely people are to step up to get tested to
know their status. The more we talk about things like
undetectable is equals to untransmittable, which is a campaign that
(10:45):
GILLIAD and a lot of other healthcare organizations are supporting,
which says that when a person living with HIV is
on treatment and their medications and their VIOLOD is undetectable,
that they cannot transmit HIV to their sexual partnersctable is untransmittable.
It's such an empowering campaign because it allows the stigma
(11:05):
to be diminished and if people can think about, in
the most intimate at sex, you can't transmit, this will
really eliminate some of the stigma that comes around people
talking about HIV and other contacts.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
And so that's important.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
And so I think the answer to your question it
is multifaceted, a multi pronct approach, looking at the community,
the individuals, looking at healthcare systems, healthcare providers, looking at media,
looking at housing, all of the things that it takes
to get people to be tested, linked to care, access
to care, providing support services, and making sure that we're
(11:41):
using the data to inform how we deploy our strategies
and do that in an effective manner.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Questions from my panel will first start with you, Rebecca Sure.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
There has been a push in this country to eliminate
comprehensive sex education in public schools, and especially in the South.
Oftentimes it is an absence only curriculum, and using the
term curriculum very loosely, considering that the majority of public
school kids in this country now are students of color.
Can is there a link between the lack of comprehensive
(12:14):
sex education and the increase rates in planned pregnancies STD
rates including HIV AIDS.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Well for sure.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
What is important is that there needs to be comprehensive
sexual health education and unfortunately that is not happening routinely,
and we're seeing that it's not happening at the different
levels of education and even in healthcare systems where they
should be happening. So what people are doing on communities
are doing are finding really innovative and creative ways to
have that education from trusted community partners. Different people are
(12:47):
coming up with programs that may now be after school
programs that may happen in other places where people socialize
so they can have that conversation if they're not able
to have it within the school curriculum. There are places
where people are looking at different ways of their advocacy
and community voice, going to their boards and figuring out
how to have those conversations, because when they happen and
(13:11):
people get accurate, factual information, you're more likely to have
great outcomes as opposed to when the information is disjointed
and people get information from different places. So while people
figure out how we can get policy and advocacy to
make those things happen, a lot of times community organizations
and community initiatives and parents and different people are figuring
(13:34):
out different ways to do what they need to do
to get it done and figuring out and so many
creative innovative programs. And I think it's on to us
to find programs like those and amplify them because they
are happening where people are figuring out how to get
kids together and have conversations with them, and how do
we get people to know about those without reinventing.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
The will in a piggyback doc.
Speaker 4 (13:57):
You know, one of the activities that we did in
the tour last year where community town hall meetings or
meeting with the mayor local high schools, uh, faith leaders.
And you know, when we when we really really when
we really start having the conversations and really chopping it
up and understanding that you know, this is this is
something that's affecting the youth as well. They are sexually active.
(14:20):
You know, these conversations, these conversations need to be happening,
you know, with with our children, with our grandkids, you know,
so forth so on, Scott, Thanks Roland.
Speaker 6 (14:33):
Uh doctor Raheem. I've always thought your most powerful partner
to do away with stigma in regarding each I v
AIDS would be the Black Church.
Speaker 7 (14:44):
It's a complicated partnership and one that has been short
or or taken quite a while.
Speaker 8 (14:50):
To come around, if at all.
Speaker 9 (14:52):
I'm curious that in your discussion either one of y'all
can take this question. I'm curious in your discussions with
faith leaders from the eighties and nineties when AIDS was
discovered till now, has the Black Church been more active
and been more open to partnering with you on this
hv HIV issue or is it still a struggle with
(15:14):
those community churches.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
Going from city to city on tour last year, this
was a reoccurring topic for the room. Yeah, definitely they were.
They were faith leaders in the house that that that
represent that agreed wholeheartedly.
Speaker 5 (15:29):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
They want to you know, involve their local church there,
you know, getting tapped into the community. And I think
I think, yeah, you know, it has we have seen
uh you know, a three sixty turnaround. You know when
you think about like the eighties and the nineties and
you know, the conversations being said that their taboos shouldn't happen,
(15:49):
you know at the sanctuary. I mean, uh, I think
we all believe in the power of prayer, but there's
a saying that a friend of mine has told me
that prayer without action has blasphemy. So you know we
have to definitely mob up and get with our faith
leaders as well and welcome the church into these conversations. Conversations.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Yes, and like you said, you know it's oh go ahead, no, no, no,
not go ahead, not go ahead?
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Oh okay, Yeah, just to piggyback on your point there
that as we as you probably as you go around
the country, there are the differences in what you see
and people are engaged, and like we think about anything
like as a bell shaped curve, they're going to be
people on one end who are advocates and champions.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
They're going to be people who you know won't move.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
But most people, it's in that middle part where you
can have those conversations and those faith leaders, their congregants
are their constituents, and so some of the things that
happen is you know, going into those places and having
them understand how this impacts their congregation, their community, and
really looking at other things that they may find more important.
So if you're going in there to do blood pressures
(17:00):
in diabetes screening, talking about vaccinations and then you can
talk about HIV testing and sexual health and sometimes finding
the messengers from those congregants so they may not want
somebody from outside of of their congregation to do the speaking,
but really finding partners and ambassadors within those settings, and
then having those faith leaders who are bought on to
(17:21):
like talking about sex and sexuality be the ones influencing
their other faith leaders.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
But you are right.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
They play a critical role and really important parts of
the conversation because for.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
You, you know, we talk about teens that are sexually active,
and you know, parents having the conversations about birth control
for example. You know that I feel like there should
be conversations about about prev Absolutely no, there should be
conversations about preventative measures.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
You know, well, yeah, we're thinking about preventing pregnancy, we're
thinking about preventing HIV. And that's a great point you
brought up, because the Center for Disease Control did change
the guidelines two three years ago now to say that
anyone who's sexually active should have that conversation healthcare providers
around HIV prevention. So if you're having sexual your sexual actives,
(18:12):
so it's a really important time.
Speaker 7 (18:14):
Get TESTI for yes, I think test for if you're heterosexual.
You know, we tend to put this in our homosexual community,
but this this affects.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Everybody, absolutely absolutely, And we talked about with for cis
gender women that ninety one percent of sis gender women
will acquire HIV from heterosexual contact. So we really say,
if you're sexually active, we don't need to talk about
who you're having sex with.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
How you're having sex, what sex you're having.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Really, if you're sexually active, let's talk about how you
can prevent HIV and that is part of your sexual health.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
It's part of that conversation.
Speaker 10 (18:55):
Doc.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
Again, I follow our multiple chats and not everybody is
locked in it. So when you say cis gender, what
does that mean?
Speaker 3 (19:04):
All right?
Speaker 2 (19:05):
So that means women who are born female and who
also identify as female. So that's what gender birth is
also their gender identity. It's how they're identifying.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Because because you got folks who watch this show, they
don't use all kinds of different terms. They just use
me and women. So they were like, I was looking
at it, like, what is cis gender?
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Women?
Speaker 8 (19:25):
All right?
Speaker 3 (19:25):
Go ahead, Joe, No, thank you, thank you for calling
that out.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
We have to be always thank you for doing that
because we always have to do that with any audience
and make sure that we're clear.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
So thank you for doing that. So it's a sex
assigned out birth.
Speaker 10 (19:40):
Joe.
Speaker 4 (19:40):
Also, also we want to just touch on the fact
that you know now they have home testing kids as well.
You know, the same way you can go to CVS
and get a COVID test kit, you have a home
testing kit, you know, so you can get tested, you know,
in the privacy, you comfort of your own home. You
can get tested with your part youb me I swabb you.
(20:02):
You know these are thesa uh methods. Everybody seems to
love that campaign, you know. Yeah, but on on a
series of note you know these these are these are
alternatives that that that that exists out there. I think
you know again it's about normalizing, uh, the conversation you
know about sexual health.
Speaker 8 (20:20):
M all right, Joe, go ahead, all right, guys, thank
you so much, uh brother raheem. I appreciate your music,
your work over the years, like a lot of people
would say, I guess Woman and Customer probably still my
favorite songs. But I think it's amazing that above your art,
in addition to your art, which is already brilliant, you
(20:41):
would actually connect with something that allows I mean, this
is what you sing about. So it's a great fit
and very as responsible as it is brilliant for you
to be making this connection, to have this partnership, and
I appreciate you for doing that.
Speaker 10 (20:57):
Doc.
Speaker 8 (20:57):
I want to add and ask and whoever can come
in should hear either of you the fact that Gilliad
is doing. What is doing is great. Is there some
pivot that you're making, or some adjustment that you make,
or some raising of the stakes and additional moneies that
(21:20):
you're looking for, etc. On higher goals because of what
we see happening on the government side. I don't know
how much or how little you have government partners but
with the threats to funding that have happened, and even
some people could actually even make this a DEI thing
where you don't want to help women that you know,
black women who are disproportionately affected because it would amount
(21:42):
to a DEI thing. Things that are that ridiculous are
going on. So what I want to know is is
there some response from Gilead to raise the stakes, to
raise more money and to have more even more targeted
and higher goals because of what you see happening on
the government fund and possibly the partnership side.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
Wait, thank you so much for that question.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
And I think, like I started at the beginning, I
am in medical affairs, Gilliad at medical affairs, but all
I can say confidently is that Gilead Sciences remains committed
to making sure that we enhanced access and commitment to
make sure that people who need and want HIV prevention
medications and treatment get access to it, and so there
(22:27):
is a commitment for that. I am not able to
answer like funding questions or questions around specific dollar amounts,
but there is a commitment to health equity and to
making sure that people who need and want access to
our medications have that. And so that is that commitment
and ongoing partnerships to make sure that that is happening.
(22:48):
But I'm sure if there's specific questions around funding and
the funding types, there are people within GILLIAD leadership who
can answer that. We have people in public affairs, government
affairs and who are really working you know, those partnerships constantly.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
All right, then, well, again, when when you talk about
health issues in this country, this and so many others,
African Americans are unfortunately at the top or the bottom,
depending upon how it is rated. And absolutely when it
comes to getting the information out there, you know, directing
(23:24):
those media dollars to black owned media is important as well,
not just ABC, NBCCBS And again having those on the
ground conversations that are the tough ones that folks don't
want to have but actually absolutely need to have. And
so Michell appreciate it. Thank you so very much.
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Black women account for a disproportionate number of new HIV
(00:03):
diagnoses among women. Additionally, black transgender women experience the highest
rates of new HIV diagnoses amongst transgender people and are
more likely to remain undiagnosed and untreated compared to their peers.
In response to this staggering trend, Gilead Sciences has launched
the Setting the Pace Initiative, the Prevention, Arts and Advocacy
(00:24):
Committee and Education Program. It's a three year, twelve point
six million dollar commitment aimed at expanding HIV prevention efforts
and underserved communities. Joining us now is doctor Tooyan new
Wall four. Hopefully I prodounced that correctly, Executive director of
Gilead US HIV Medical Affairs, and also singer Raheem Devon,
who is partnering in the partnering with Gilead Setting the
(00:47):
Pace Initiative. Glad both of you joining us right now. Doc,
I want to go to you first, because so here's
the thing that jumps out and I've covered this story
for decades. When you go back to the initial AIDS
outbreak in the early nineteen eighties, it was essentially a
(01:07):
white gay men's disease. What ends up happening is you
have all of these different groups that are formed in
San Francisco, in Los Angeles, in New York targeting these
white gay men. Well, that actually played a huge role
in creating the LGBT community political advocacy organizations. What then
(01:29):
happens is battles, whether it was a Democratic president or
a Republican president, when you begin to see the numbers
and the impact on black people, you didn't see the
shift of the resources going from white gay male targeted
community to African Americans. And so a huge part of
(01:51):
this in the last decade or so has been this
consistent battle on the ground in cities like Houston and Chicago, Charlotte.
What was happening on HBCU campuses where the infrastructure, the
federal money, the infrastructure still is not keeping paid what
(02:11):
the data actually shows, doc, Can you hear me?
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Yes? Yes, Oh, I wasn't sure that it was a question. Yeah,
So okay, great, Yeah, So thank you for kind of summarizing,
you know, the last couple of decades of what we're
seeing with HIV and when I started to take care
of people living with HIV in the middle nineties, we
did see that and we saw again over and over
again the discrepancy between what was happening in the communities
(02:43):
and what the data was showing and what the perception
and what the funding and all the realities of what
was happening with that. And I think what's important is
for us, like in the communities, in healthcare, in the media,
to be able to talk about this is the reality
of HIV in twenty twenty five. That there are still
thirty nine thousand new HIV diagnoses in the US in
(03:08):
twenty twenty twenty twenty three, and those numbers are disproportionally
impacting Black communities, where you know, up to thirty eight
to forty percent of new diagnoses I in Black people
though we make up less than fourteen percent of the population,
and women, especially when we think about one in five
(03:29):
new HIV diagnoses are in women, many of whom are
from heterosexual contact, and in those women, one in five
infections are in women, but fifty percent of those are
in Black women. So clearly what has happened over the
decades is that the reality of what is happening with HIV,
who's living with HIV, who's vulnerable to new HIV infections,
(03:52):
where the funding is what's happening at community is very different.
But where things are in the eighties and the perception
about way things are is very different. So it's becoming
really important for us to continue to have the conversation
but also think about what it is that we need
to do in the healthcare community, in industry, in the
community to change those numbers and make sure that we
(04:14):
drive solutions for the epidemic.
Speaker 1 (04:17):
When you talk about those numbers, a significant amount of
it is in the South, why.
Speaker 2 (04:27):
Right, So again when we look at it, you are
absolutely correct, more than half of the new diagnoses of
HIV infection are in the South and in certain areas,
and I know we'll continue to talk about those numbers again.
Disproportionately impact people for a couple of reasons, right, So
we have factors that have to do with a lot
of social drivers of health and it's unfortunate. But the
(04:49):
reality is when we look at the diagnosis of new
HIV infections, when we look at the overlay of diabetes,
when we look at the overlay of obesity other chronic
cos we do see that disproportionate impact and it's multifactorial.
As you know, right, we have issues with obviously access,
access to good quality healthcare, access to culturally competent clinicians
(05:14):
who can have those conversations. We have issues with obviously
funding other social determinants of health that impair people's ability
to actually get care. But then also we also know
that there is misinformation, there's disinformation, there's stigma.
Speaker 3 (05:29):
Stigma is a big.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
Driver of why we still continue to see disparity, stigma
in the community, stigma in healthcare settings. And as long
as there's stigma, it's really hard to have the hard
conversations and the open conversations that need to happen around
sexual health, sexuality, talking about HIV prevention, talking about sexual health.
As long as there's stigma, and as long as we're
(05:51):
not having this conversation in an open, non judgmental, stigma
free way, we're going to see those disparities, and they're
layered on a lot of structural and social determinants and
drivers of health that remain in the country.
Speaker 1 (06:08):
Raheem, why did you decide to join this effort?
Speaker 4 (06:12):
Well, you know, I'm no stranger Roller two community activism,
you know, having a love life foundation since twenty sixteen,
I work as it relates to domestic violence, and this
is no this is no different. The statistics outrageously you know,
it's super high. You know, Texas and Louisiana, Georgia, these
(06:37):
are like three of my like major markets as a
as a recording artist. You know, having influence, you know,
being in these communities for so long, you know, making
music that speaks you know, for the bedroom and into
intimacy as well, and you know, it gives me an
opportunity to do my part, you know, just in terms
of activism.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
Obviously, when you think about again, over the last forty
five years, there's been no greater community that has really
focused on hivaas than the entertainment community, primarily because it
was it was the hardest hit by this in the
(07:18):
eighties and nineties. We're talking about dancers, actors, singers, a
lot of people who are behind the scenes as well,
and so you know, so you know, this is certainly
not new in terms of entertainers really taking this Manton.
When you think about the concerts that in the song
that Stevie Wonder of course Dion Warwick, Luther Vandros did.
(07:43):
When you think about the galas that Elton John has
raised millions and millions of Lizabeth Taylor as well. So
there's a long history of entertainers focusing on this.
Speaker 4 (07:53):
Issue absolutely, you know, being on board with Gilead this
last year and a half has been it's been a blessing.
It has been you know, educational for me as well.
You know, last year we touched over forty thousand women,
had the opportunity to connect with over forty thousand women
in less than thirty days, you know, utilizing my tour
(08:15):
schedule to bring bring awareness to you know, disparities and
on what's going on in the community.
Speaker 3 (08:22):
And you know, just I didn't.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
Really I didn't really realize the impact until you know,
I'm in those lines every night and you know, different
people disclosing and letting me know, Hey, like I've been
HIV positive, you know since the nineties, or I lost
my mother, I lost my grandmother, or you know my
child has been diagnosed, or I've never been properly tested.
You know, can I get tested right now? So again,
(08:48):
you know, I like to call it a party with
a purpose and editatement as we call it. You know,
where there's an opportunity to fuse and lock in and
fuse education, you know, with entertainment doc.
Speaker 1 (09:04):
This is a three year, twelve point six minute commitment.
What does that actually cover, What does that involve? Is
that advertising, is that advocacy, is that on the ground activations.
What exactly is the initiative?
Speaker 2 (09:17):
It is a combination of all of those things, because
we do know that to truly talk about ending the
HIV epidemic for everyone, everywhere, and especially looking at communities
disproportion impacted like the black community, we really need to
approach it from a multipronct approach along the continuum where
people live, work, play, prayer and love, where we're talking
(09:39):
about community activation. We're talking about strategic community partnerships. We're
talking about education to the community, bringing on advocates and
community partners We're talking about educating healthcare providers so they
know the vital role that they play in dismantling stigma
and having open, non judgmental conversation, not just infectious disease
(10:02):
clinicians like myself, but primary care providers, O bgians and
so partnerships in that regard, partnerships with media, partnerships with journalists,
and media partnerships with community advocates, and really looking at
all the people that it would take because As was
mentioned before, stigma as long as their stigma. It impacts
(10:22):
people's ability to want to get an HIV test. It
impacts people ability to stay connected in care and stay
linked in care. So the more that we're able to
normalize HIV and the community conversations around it, the more
likely people are to step up to get tested to
know their status. The more we talk about things like
undetectable is equals to untransmittable, which is a campaign that
(10:45):
GILLIAD and a lot of other healthcare organizations are supporting,
which says that when a person living with HIV is
on treatment and their medications and their VIOLOD is undetectable,
that they cannot transmit HIV to their sexual partnersctable is untransmittable.
It's such an empowering campaign because it allows the stigma
(11:05):
to be diminished and if people can think about, in
the most intimate at sex, you can't transmit, this will
really eliminate some of the stigma that comes around people
talking about HIV and other contacts.
Speaker 3 (11:17):
And so that's important.
Speaker 2 (11:19):
And so I think the answer to your question it
is multifaceted, a multi pronct approach, looking at the community,
the individuals, looking at healthcare systems, healthcare providers, looking at media,
looking at housing, all of the things that it takes
to get people to be tested, linked to care, access
to care, providing support services, and making sure that we're
(11:41):
using the data to inform how we deploy our strategies
and do that in an effective manner.
Speaker 1 (11:47):
Questions from my panel will first start with you, Rebecca Sure.
Speaker 5 (11:51):
There has been a push in this country to eliminate
comprehensive sex education in public schools, and especially in the South.
Oftentimes it is an absence only curriculum, and using the
term curriculum very loosely, considering that the majority of public
school kids in this country now are students of color.
Can is there a link between the lack of comprehensive
(12:14):
sex education and the increase rates in planned pregnancies STD
rates including HIV AIDS.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Well for sure.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
What is important is that there needs to be comprehensive
sexual health education and unfortunately that is not happening routinely,
and we're seeing that it's not happening at the different
levels of education and even in healthcare systems where they
should be happening. So what people are doing on communities
are doing are finding really innovative and creative ways to
have that education from trusted community partners. Different people are
(12:47):
coming up with programs that may now be after school
programs that may happen in other places where people socialize
so they can have that conversation if they're not able
to have it within the school curriculum. There are places
where people are looking at different ways of their advocacy
and community voice, going to their boards and figuring out
how to have those conversations, because when they happen and
(13:11):
people get accurate, factual information, you're more likely to have
great outcomes as opposed to when the information is disjointed
and people get information from different places. So while people
figure out how we can get policy and advocacy to
make those things happen, a lot of times community organizations
and community initiatives and parents and different people are figuring
(13:34):
out different ways to do what they need to do
to get it done and figuring out and so many
creative innovative programs. And I think it's on to us
to find programs like those and amplify them because they
are happening where people are figuring out how to get
kids together and have conversations with them, and how do
we get people to know about those without reinventing.
Speaker 3 (13:55):
The will in a piggyback doc.
Speaker 4 (13:57):
You know, one of the activities that we did in
the tour last year where community town hall meetings or
meeting with the mayor local high schools, uh, faith leaders.
And you know, when we when we really really when
we really start having the conversations and really chopping it
up and understanding that you know, this is this is
something that's affecting the youth as well. They are sexually active.
(14:20):
You know, these conversations, these conversations need to be happening,
you know, with with our children, with our grandkids, you know,
so forth so on, Scott, Thanks Roland.
Speaker 6 (14:33):
Uh doctor Raheem. I've always thought your most powerful partner
to do away with stigma in regarding each I v
AIDS would be the Black Church.
Speaker 7 (14:44):
It's a complicated partnership and one that has been short
or or taken quite a while.
Speaker 8 (14:50):
To come around, if at all.
Speaker 9 (14:52):
I'm curious that in your discussion either one of y'all
can take this question. I'm curious in your discussions with
faith leaders from the eighties and nineties when AIDS was
discovered till now, has the Black Church been more active
and been more open to partnering with you on this
hv HIV issue or is it still a struggle with
(15:14):
those community churches.
Speaker 4 (15:16):
Going from city to city on tour last year, this
was a reoccurring topic for the room. Yeah, definitely they were.
They were faith leaders in the house that that that
represent that agreed wholeheartedly.
Speaker 5 (15:29):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (15:29):
They want to you know, involve their local church there,
you know, getting tapped into the community. And I think
I think, yeah, you know, it has we have seen
uh you know, a three sixty turnaround. You know when
you think about like the eighties and the nineties and
you know, the conversations being said that their taboos shouldn't happen,
(15:49):
you know at the sanctuary. I mean, uh, I think
we all believe in the power of prayer, but there's
a saying that a friend of mine has told me
that prayer without action has blasphemy. So you know we
have to definitely mob up and get with our faith
leaders as well and welcome the church into these conversations. Conversations.
Speaker 3 (16:10):
Yes, and like you said, you know it's oh go ahead, no, no, no,
not go ahead, not go ahead?
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Oh okay, Yeah, just to piggyback on your point there
that as we as you probably as you go around
the country, there are the differences in what you see
and people are engaged, and like we think about anything
like as a bell shaped curve, they're going to be
people on one end who are advocates and champions.
Speaker 3 (16:35):
They're going to be people who you know won't move.
Speaker 2 (16:37):
But most people, it's in that middle part where you
can have those conversations and those faith leaders, their congregants
are their constituents, and so some of the things that
happen is you know, going into those places and having
them understand how this impacts their congregation, their community, and
really looking at other things that they may find more important.
So if you're going in there to do blood pressures
(17:00):
in diabetes screening, talking about vaccinations and then you can
talk about HIV testing and sexual health and sometimes finding
the messengers from those congregants so they may not want
somebody from outside of of their congregation to do the speaking,
but really finding partners and ambassadors within those settings, and
then having those faith leaders who are bought on to
(17:21):
like talking about sex and sexuality be the ones influencing
their other faith leaders.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
But you are right.
Speaker 2 (17:27):
They play a critical role and really important parts of
the conversation because for.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
You, you know, we talk about teens that are sexually active,
and you know, parents having the conversations about birth control
for example. You know that I feel like there should
be conversations about about prev Absolutely no, there should be
conversations about preventative measures.
Speaker 2 (17:50):
You know, well, yeah, we're thinking about preventing pregnancy, we're
thinking about preventing HIV. And that's a great point you
brought up, because the Center for Disease Control did change
the guidelines two three years ago now to say that
anyone who's sexually active should have that conversation healthcare providers
around HIV prevention. So if you're having sexual your sexual actives,
(18:12):
so it's a really important time.
Speaker 7 (18:14):
Get TESTI for yes, I think test for if you're heterosexual.
You know, we tend to put this in our homosexual community,
but this this affects.
Speaker 2 (18:25):
Everybody, absolutely absolutely, And we talked about with for cis
gender women that ninety one percent of sis gender women
will acquire HIV from heterosexual contact. So we really say,
if you're sexually active, we don't need to talk about
who you're having sex with.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
How you're having sex, what sex you're having.
Speaker 2 (18:45):
Really, if you're sexually active, let's talk about how you
can prevent HIV and that is part of your sexual health.
Speaker 3 (18:52):
It's part of that conversation.
Speaker 10 (18:55):
Doc.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
Again, I follow our multiple chats and not everybody is
locked in it. So when you say cis gender, what
does that mean?
Speaker 3 (19:04):
All right?
Speaker 2 (19:05):
So that means women who are born female and who
also identify as female. So that's what gender birth is
also their gender identity. It's how they're identifying.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Because because you got folks who watch this show, they
don't use all kinds of different terms. They just use
me and women. So they were like, I was looking
at it, like, what is cis gender?
Speaker 2 (19:24):
Women?
Speaker 8 (19:25):
All right?
Speaker 3 (19:25):
Go ahead, Joe, No, thank you, thank you for calling
that out.
Speaker 2 (19:29):
We have to be always thank you for doing that
because we always have to do that with any audience
and make sure that we're clear.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
So thank you for doing that. So it's a sex
assigned out birth.
Speaker 10 (19:40):
Joe.
Speaker 4 (19:40):
Also, also we want to just touch on the fact
that you know now they have home testing kids as well.
You know, the same way you can go to CVS
and get a COVID test kit, you have a home
testing kit, you know, so you can get tested, you know,
in the privacy, you comfort of your own home. You
can get tested with your part youb me I swabb you.
(20:02):
You know these are thesa uh methods. Everybody seems to
love that campaign, you know. Yeah, but on on a
series of note you know these these are these are
alternatives that that that that exists out there. I think
you know again it's about normalizing, uh, the conversation you
know about sexual health.
Speaker 8 (20:20):
M all right, Joe, go ahead, all right, guys, thank
you so much, uh brother raheem. I appreciate your music,
your work over the years, like a lot of people
would say, I guess Woman and Customer probably still my
favorite songs. But I think it's amazing that above your art,
in addition to your art, which is already brilliant, you
(20:41):
would actually connect with something that allows I mean, this
is what you sing about. So it's a great fit
and very as responsible as it is brilliant for you
to be making this connection, to have this partnership, and
I appreciate you for doing that.
Speaker 10 (20:57):
Doc.
Speaker 8 (20:57):
I want to add and ask and whoever can come
in should hear either of you the fact that Gilliad
is doing. What is doing is great. Is there some
pivot that you're making, or some adjustment that you make,
or some raising of the stakes and additional moneies that
(21:20):
you're looking for, etc. On higher goals because of what
we see happening on the government side. I don't know
how much or how little you have government partners but
with the threats to funding that have happened, and even
some people could actually even make this a DEI thing
where you don't want to help women that you know,
black women who are disproportionately affected because it would amount
(21:42):
to a DEI thing. Things that are that ridiculous are
going on. So what I want to know is is
there some response from Gilead to raise the stakes, to
raise more money and to have more even more targeted
and higher goals because of what you see happening on
the government fund and possibly the partnership side.
Speaker 3 (22:03):
Wait, thank you so much for that question.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
And I think, like I started at the beginning, I
am in medical affairs, Gilliad at medical affairs, but all
I can say confidently is that Gilead Sciences remains committed
to making sure that we enhanced access and commitment to
make sure that people who need and want HIV prevention
medications and treatment get access to it, and so there
(22:27):
is a commitment for that. I am not able to
answer like funding questions or questions around specific dollar amounts,
but there is a commitment to health equity and to
making sure that people who need and want access to
our medications have that. And so that is that commitment
and ongoing partnerships to make sure that that is happening.
(22:48):
But I'm sure if there's specific questions around funding and
the funding types, there are people within GILLIAD leadership who
can answer that. We have people in public affairs, government
affairs and who are really working you know, those partnerships constantly.
Speaker 1 (23:04):
All right, then, well, again, when when you talk about
health issues in this country, this and so many others,
African Americans are unfortunately at the top or the bottom,
depending upon how it is rated. And absolutely when it
comes to getting the information out there, you know, directing
(23:24):
those media dollars to black owned media is important as well,
not just ABC, NBCCBS And again having those on the
ground conversations that are the tough ones that folks don't
want to have but actually absolutely need to have. And
so Michell appreciate it. Thank you so very much.
Speaker 10 (23:43):
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