Author: Aracelis Quiñones

Aracelis Quiñones is coordinator of Poder Latino (Latino Power), one of the longest-standing HIV education and support programs for Latinos in the United States, and a proud woman living with HIV for more than 34 years. A fierce advocate for underserved and Spanish-speaking communities, she has dedicated her life to uplifting people living with HIV—beginning with her work in Brooklyn supporting HIV-positive women and continuing since 1998 through her leadership and anti-stigma advocacy with the Latino Commission on AIDS. Grounded in lived experience and driven by compassion, Aracelis empowers others—especially women living with HIV—to find strength, voice and community.

Equity Cannot Wait: Confronting the Unequal Burden of HIV and AIDS on Women of Color

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When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first reported what would later be called AIDS in 1981, public narratives narrowly centered on white gay men. Globally, women account for more than half of all people living with HIV today. But, women were present in the epidemic from the start, but their experiences were marginalized in surveillance and public discourse.