In this issue:

  • Meet Our Shero of the Month: Masonia Traylor
  • Organizing Spotlight: The HIV Caucus Unifies the Voices of HIV
  • PWN Honors HIV Long Term Survivor’s Day
  • Abolition is Public Health
  • Untold Stories: The Resilience of Survivors Living with HIV

Meet Our Shero of the Month: Masonia Traylor

Our May 2021 Shero of the Month is Masonia Traylor of Atlanta, Georgia. PWN National Field Organizer Evany Turk said, “Masonia is a thoughtful queen who leads with her heart. She is a leader who listens to understand. She moves throughout the community with integrity and respect and can always ground you at the moment with the softness of her voice. I enjoy working with Masonia. She’s a great leader.”

First and foremost, Masonia is a mother. She was a guest panelist for the Mother’s Day Our Way Extravaganza we co-hosted with The Well Project. The most rewarding things about being a mom for her are “having unconditional love to give and receive and to witness, as well as be a part of, the growth of another human being.” She witnessed that growth when she shared her status with her children.

When asked how that altered her relationship or responsibility as a parent, Masonia said her goal was to have her children be more compassionate and less judgmental. “It pushed me to face more uncomfortable yet necessary conversations about sex, sexuality, condoms, puberty, and consent before age 11. I know that telling them sooner helped prepare them for real-life situations and choices. It allowed me to give them tools to be equipped for early decision-making and the tested influence amongst their peers.”
Read more about Masonia here!


Organizing Spotlight: The HIV Caucus Unifies the Voices of HIV


Are you a person living with HIV who wants to improve the quality of life for other people living with HIV? Do you want to get involved with like-minded advocates and networks of people living with HIV? Do you believe that in order to end the HIV epidemic in America, people living with HIV must be centered in the creation and implementation of policies affecting people living with HIV?

PWN sat down with the leadership team of the United States People Living with HIV Caucus (HIV Caucus) to talk about what it is, who it’s for, and what its advocacy is about.

Q. What is the HIV Caucus and why is it important?

A. The U.S. People Living with HIV Caucus is a coalition of networks of people living with HIV and independent advocates who have assembled in defense of the HIV community living in the U.S. The HIV Caucus collectively speaks with a unified voice for people living with HIV in the U.S. We work to define and enforce the meaningful involvement of people living with HIV (MIPA) in every decision that impacts our lives. Our emphasis on the engagement of people living with HIV (PLHIV) is one of the reasons why the Caucus is important. The Caucus is also important because it is a grassroots body that most represents the wide diversity of the HIV community in the country.

Read more about the HIV Caucus here!

Don’t Miss Our Special #HLTSAD Event: Honoring 40 Years of HIV


June 5 is #HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day #HLTSAD–and the 40th anniversary of the discovery of HIV. Join us on Facebook Live or YouTube Live Thursday, June 3, at 6 pm ET/3 pm PT for an intergenerational conversation between Waheedah Shabazz-El and Antoinette Jones about what women living with HIV need 40 years in–and need you to know.

Follow us on Facebook!
Follow us on YouTube!

Get to Know PWN – Sisterhood, Community, Solidarity, Action


You may already know that Positive Women’s Network – USA is the only national network led by and for women living with HIV, and the fiercest group of HIV advocates leading the way to our vision of a society where women and trans folks living with HIV can lead long, dignified, thriving lives free from stigma and discrimination.

But if you’re new to PWN, or if you’ve been around awhile but haven’t been too involved, you may be missing out on chances to participate in our community of women and people of trans experience living with HIV, finding support and connection as well as training and leadership development opportunities. And there’s absolutely no requirement to share your status publicly to participate!

On Tuesday, May 25, we hosted Get to Know PWN. You can watch (or share!) the recording here or by clicking the image below.


Want to learn more?

Join PWN as a member or ally here!

Untold Stories: The Resilience of Survivors Living with HIV


This new awareness campaign, produced by National Network to End Domestic Violence in partnership with PWN, features PWN members Tana Pradia and Teresa Sullivan sharing their stories of escaping and healing from abuse.

Feel inspired by these untold stories here!

Awesome Resource from Towards Abolition


It’s always critical to think about ways we can move towards abolition in our own lives and work. This guide, recently developed by public health practitioners, students, and educators, provides both learning and action opportunities for people in our field and in our communities to challenge the prison-industrial complex.

Check out the guide here!