In November I was privileged to be invited to participate in a plenary session at the 15th annual International Conference on Stigma sponsored by Howard University in Washington, D.C. I had frequently attended this conference since it was founded and have been pleased to see it expanding year after year.
International Conference on Stigma at Howard University
The conference was established though the hard work of Dr. Sohail Rana, a professor of pediatric hematology at Howard University Medical school. It was initially established to fight stigma related to HIV. Throughout the years the focus on stigma’s impact expanded beyond HIV to include mental health, addictions, and other types of stigmatized conditions and behaviors. For example, one very interesting session addressed stigma related to patients seeking help for pain related to sickle cell anemia. In many cases, patients in a sickle cell crisis experience extreme levels of pain but are often made to wait for hours in emergency rooms since it is believed they may be drug seeking.
The plenary session in which I participated was entitled “Stigma No More… it’s 2024.” Those of us on the panel all had a long history of living with or being affected by HIV and spoke to the changes related to stigma that have occurred over the last 15 years. Other panelists included Cecilia Chung, a civil rights activist, most notably for transgender rights, and Reggie and Dion Smith who formed their own foundation and who work in holistic health and advocacy. The panel was facilitated by Maranda Ward, a professor at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The depth of experience reflected among the panelists gave insight into the evolving role that stigma plays today, not only by affecting rates of new HIV cases but also by impacting the role and efficacy of healthcare.
Fawcett receives Stigma Warrior Award.
The highlight of the conference for me was being named a Stigma Warrior for my work advocating against stigma related to HIV, addictions, and mental health. I was grateful for such a meaningful recognition of decades of advocacy work.
