Listen. Learn. Live. Better.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 38 million people were living with HIV/AIDS globally in 2019. In the same year, there were 690,000 AIDS-related deaths worldwide. In the US, based on the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 32,100 new HIV infections occurred in the United States in 2021, a 12% decline from 2017 and yet still 32,100 too many.

Today is the 35th commemoration of World AIDS Day, an annual event focused on remembering those we have lost, raising awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and supporting those living with the disease. The day also serves as a reminder that despite progress, including declining numbers of new HIV infections and the development of antiretroviral therapy (ART) that suppress the virus and prevent it from replicating in the body, stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV/AIDS remain a significant barrier to prevention, testing, and treatment.

Alvin and I are Dads to two kids, a boy and a girl, and we are purposeful about celebrating each of them for all they are. However, as a white male raising two kids of color, I am particularly sensitive to the need to invest in them to ensure they are exposed to a broad range of experiences that cut across race, gender, and stereotypical lines.

Why, you might ask? Notwithstanding my shared responsibility with Alvin to create a purposeful, expansive, rich environment, our children's early experiences — including the hours spent consuming media — shape what they imagine to be possible for people who look like them, live where they live, or come from where they came from.