This series was born out of urgency, truth, and love, aiming to center the lived experiences of Black women living with HIV. It seeks to reclaim narratives, disrupt stigma, and create space for healing and transformative truth-telling through photography and audio/video storytelling.
This series addresses the critical need for public health messaging in a time of misinformation, ensuring Black women are not excluded from the global conversation around HIV.
Series Trailer
Episode One – Carla’s Story of Purpose
From Patient to Advocate: My HIV Diagnosis Gave Me Purpose
In our first episode, Carla shares her unbelievable journey from being homeless and addicted to drugs, to achieving homeownership and becoming a passionate HIV patient navigator.
She recounts the lack of humanity she faced during her diagnosis and the moment a woman named Catherine planted the seed of hope that changed everything.
Carla’s powerful realization, “What the enemy meant for my ruin, God turned into my purpose”, has become the foundation for her work today, proving that lived experience is the highest qualification.
Episode Two – Chatrivia’s Story of Love
I Went Live & Told the World My Status: My Journey to Love and Freedom
“I was scared because I knew that me becoming free meant I had to expose myself.”
In Episode 2 of Shine A Light On It, Anna DeShawn sits down with the incredible Chatrivia. Six years ago, Chatrivia sat in her car, turned on her phone, and told her Facebook community the truth: she had been living with HIV for 14 years.
In this moving conversation, they talk about:
- The “car video” that changed everything.
- Why tacos are the center of her family traditions and business celebrations.
- How she escaped an abusive relationship to find a love she never thought was possible.
- Her mission to educate the West Side of Chicago and “feed the sheep.”
Chatrivia reminds us that HIV doesn’t have her, that she has a life full of purpose, books, and unconditional love.
Episode Three – Latascha’s Story of Community Care
From “Walking Dead” to Dancing Again: How My “Sisters in the Struggle” Saved My Life
In this episode of Shine A Light On It, Anna DeShawn joins Latascha on the dance floor in Chicago. For Latascha, line dancing isn’t just exercise—it’s a celebration of a life she once thought was over.
After being diagnosed in Florida, Latascha spent years feeling like the “walking dead,” navigating a healthcare system that offered housing but no heart, and a family that offered “support” wrapped in stigma. Her journey took her through three states before she landed back home in Chicago and found what she calls her Sisters in the Struggle; a community of survivors who taught her how to live and laugh again.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The State-to-State Struggle: How HIV care differs from Florida to Wisconsin to Illinois.
- The Weight of Stigma: Dealing with “bleach and bubbles” and the misconceptions in the Black community.
- Finding her “Sisters”: The importance of community care and support.
- Reclaiming Happiness: Why Latascha chooses laughter over sadness.
This episode is a masterclass in resilience, the necessity of community, and the power of finding your Sisters in the Struggle.
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