Red Pump: Are you a part of any support groups? Local or national HIV/AIDS organizations?
Anderson: I am not a part of any support group however; I do see the importance of it especially if you have been newly diagnosed. Support groups provide life saving support and feedback to those who are traumatized by the diagnosis. The national groups I belong to are: ADAP Advocacy Association as a board member, a blogger for The Well Project’s: A Girl Like Me, and a member of PWN-USA. I am also a part of the Texas Black Women’s Initiative in Dallas, TX.
Red Pump: What has been your biggest challenge as a woman living with HIV? How have you overcome that?
Anderson: My biggest challenge as a woman living with HIV is that while I share my story to send a message of hope for those who suffer in silence, I am still met with stigma by those who choose not to listen to the message but rather pick apart my story to keep from identifying one’s own risk. I overcame that by not taking it personal and an understanding when I am met with stigma, it is a time to educate and keep it moving. Those who hear the message are those who needed to hear it.
Read more of Michelle Anderson’s interview at The Red Pump Project.