PRESS RELEASE-SisterLove, Inc. Honors 20 Women Leaders Living with HIV at 9th Fundraiser

(Atlanta, Georgia) – October 1, 2018 - On Friday, October 19, SisterLove, Inc. will host their 9th Annual 2020 Leading Women’s Society (LWS) Awards in honor of 20 outstanding women from across the country that have lived with HIV for 20 years or more and have served as change agents and advocates in their local communities. In addition to the 20 women who are being honored, a Pandora Singleton Ally Award will be awarded to a non-positive activist for 20 years of service in HIV advocacy work.

The gala event will take place at City Hall starting at 7pm and will be hosted by Dwight Eubanks, Celebrity Stylist and Philanthropist and City Councilmember, Andrea Boone.

The 20 women chosen were nominated and selected from a large number of submissions by a committee made up of SLI employees and former awardees. “There is no better example of bravery and selflessness than our 2020 Leading Women honorees”, says Dazon Dixon Diallo, Founder and President of SisterLove, Inc. “This is our 9th year celebrating phenomenal women who have come forward and bravely disclosed their status in order to attach a face and personal story for HIV awareness.”

According to the CDC, though diagnosis among women has somewhat declined in recent years, more than 7000 women received an HIV diagnosis in 2017. African American women are disproportionately affected by HIV compared with other races/ethnicities. The premise on which the LWS was founded 9 years ago – is that community education through outreach is an essential means to help end HIV/AIDS. The honorees were selected because of their commitment to raising awareness using their own experience and advocating for HIV/AIDS testing, prevention education, linkage to care, and more women centered research.

The goal of LWS is to engage and train 2,020 women by the year 2020 around the globe in an effort to tell the story of how women are working to end the HIV pandemic.

Awardees and guests will have the opportunity to walk the red carpet and enjoy a night of entertainment, gourmet food, community leaders and friends cheering on those who have dedicated their lives to eradicating HIV/AIDS in their unique way.

To purchase tickets, a table or to make a donation, please visit www.sisterlove.org/events or call 404-505-7777. All proceeds will benefit SisterLove, Inc. and will help to continue building on the legacy of these champions and their roles in ending HIV/AIDS.

About SisterLove

SisterLove, Inc., is the oldest women-centered HIV and sexual/ reproductive health organization in the Southeastern United States. It was founded in 1989 to address HIV-related education, prevention and research, and to support the rights of reproductive justice for women and girls. SisterLove’s mission is to eradicate the impact of HIV as well as sexual and reproductive oppressions upon all women and their communities in the US and globally. SLI utilizes an interdisciplinary human rights, harm reduction, and Reproductive Justice (RJ) approach to its direct services (testing, counseling, sexuality education) and its Policy and Advocacy Program (PAP) to support women living with HIV. SisterLove, Inc. is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with a satellite office in Johannesburg, South Africa.