BlackDoctor.org is excited for this content partnership with The Red Pump Project to feature the Red Pump Stories, an initiative created to document the narratives, struggles, and successes of women living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. This initiative will further the mission of decreasing the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, and allow us to stand with women who have experienced first-hand the impact of this condition.
Andrea is the mother of five children, three of them are her biological children and the other two are her nieces. She’s single-handedly them raised since she was the young age of seventeen, after learning of her mother’s HIV-positive status at the age of ten years old. She struggled throughout her childhood to fit in, attended multiple schools and was displaced from home before finally graduating with honors. After being faced with several ultimatums, Andrea decided to pursue her dreams of becoming a writer.
At the age of eighteen, Andrea’s manuscript gained the attention of New York Times Best-Selling Author Terri Woods, but Andrea was too consumed with parenting to fully dedicate her time to writing. Determined to not allow her dream to slip away, Andrea continued her love for writing and founded iROC (Intelligently. Redefining. Our. Culture), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to provide children and families a vast amount of resources to nurture, mold and develop a superior view and understanding on the importance of knowledge.
In addition, iROC places extreme emphasis on HIV/AIDS outreach and awareness by hosting several events such as the annual Father Daughter Dance, Know Your Status Campaign and Red Tie Event. To learn more about Andrea, iROC and her experience in living with a mother who was HIV positive, read more below!