National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: Earl Fowlkes’ Story

Diverse Elders Coalition | Ben de Guzman

From L-R: Earl Fowlkes, Hawai`i Supreme Court Justice Sabrina McKenna, DEC National Managing Coordinator Ben de Guzman (Photo Credit: National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance [NQAPIA])

His personal story of a friend who tested positive for HIV in his sixties and what that meant to him as someone who has been on the front lines of the epidemic for three decades is a powerful reminder of the work that remains in front of us to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS and its impact on our communities. At the Diverse Elders Coalition, our work on HIV seeks not only to raise that awareness through public education efforts such as our HIV Infographic, but to make specific recommendations to policymakers on ways to improve the lives of elders living with HIV and their communities.It made all the sense in the world then, for me to approach him to take part in the Diverse Elders Coalition’s work to lift up the voices of elders of color, American Indian/ Alaska Native elders, and LGBT elders. As he and I spoke, it became clear that the extensive work he has done on HIV/AIDS issues, as an advocate, a service provider, and administrator were a perfect fit for him to talk about that work as we recognize National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) on February 7th. He has written a powerful piece on “Remembering Our Seniors on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.” I am pleased that we are able to feature him on our blog.

His closing words in the article invoke the theme for this year’s NBHAAD as he write, “On this NBHAAD, remember- we are our brother’s and sister’s keeper, from our teens to our seniors. Let’s fight HIV/AIDS together!” Today, I’m proud to join him in this fight and hope you can join us as well.

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