by Jeroslyn JoVonn
December 2, 2025
Despite advances in HIV prevention, thousands of new cases occur annually, with Black communities in the South—especially women—often overlooked.
Despite advances in treatment and prevention since the 1980s, HIV still disproportionately affects Black communities in the South, with its impact on Black women often overlooked.
Recent research shows that thousands of new HIV cases are diagnosed each year. In 2023, over 39,000 of these cases were diagnosed in the U.S. and its territories among people aged 13 and older, USA Today reports.
Of these cases, 81% were men, 38% were Black, and 51% were in the South.
Black women represented half of all HIV diagnoses among women, despite comprising just 13% of the female population. The South accounted for more than half of these diagnoses and 56% of HIV-related deaths, though it makes up roughly one-third of the U.S. population.
“The burden of HIV in the South is overwhelming,” said Athena Cross, vice president and chief program officer at AIDS United. “Not only are there risks, there’s also not necessarily the education and awareness around HIV prevention. There is still a lot of stigma culturally across the South that prevents people from being willing to access care, or even be able to follow through on a diagnosis.”
Many underestimate the disease due to overall declines in cases. Since the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s, men have been the primary face of HIV and the main users of PrEP and sexual health services.
While PrEP use has grown recently, Black people represent just 12% of users, the South accounts for 39%, and only 9% of users are women. Another barrier is the limited number of hospitals and healthcare providers in the rural South, compounded by widespread anti-LBGTQ+ stigma, which contributes to ongoing misinformation and ignorance about the disease.
Tori Cooper, a Black woman in the South and director of community engagement at the Human Rights Campaign, sayid she has seldom been offered an HIV test over the years.
“You have to find some people who have a judgment-free view of HIV,” she said. “You have to have people who simply love and support you, and for many people, that’s a challenge.”
Leading the charge on solutions is Masonia Traylor, a Decatur, Georgia, native and activist who was diagnosed with HIV at 23. Now 38, Traylor is the CEO and founder of Lady BurgAndy Inc., a nonprofit supporting women and youth affected by HIV/AIDS.
Other initiatives include AIDS United’s Melanated Movement, which empowers young women to run educational programs on HBCU campuses, and SisterLove, a southeastern U.S.-based organization advocating for women’s AIDS, sexual, and reproductive justice for over 35 years.
“HIV is not an evenly distributed virus. It really does impact some of the most vulnerable communities. And that was true four decades ago, and it’s still true today,” said Rashad Burgess, vice president of corporate responsibility at Gilead Sciences.
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