May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and to honor it, the Black Women’s Affinity Group, in collaboration with Achieving Together, is hosting a webinar to bust myths and offer support for women living with HIV. This webinar, entitled, “ThrHIVing: Strong, Resilient, Black Women Taking Action to End HIV and Mental Health Stigma” will take place on Monday, May 10th, at 11:00 a.m. Central Time both on Zoom and Facebook Live (through the Achieving Together Texas Facebook page). See the link at the bottom of the blog for registration details.
It is widely known that receiving a diagnosis for any disease can take an emotional toll on a person’s mental health; however, when that disease has stigma associated with it, the risk for mental health complications increases greatly. One study of over 2,800 individuals living with HIV showed that approximately 36% also experienced serious depression and almost 16% experienced increased anxiety.
In the creation of the Achieving Together Plan, community members decided that eliminating stigma by cultivating a stigma-free climate of appreciation and inclusion would be one of the six focus areas needed to have a high impact on the goals of the plan. The Black Women’s Affinity Group is working hard to eliminate the stigma associated with HIV in Texas, particularly among Black women. This group, in collaboration with Achieving Together, is composed of community members working to address disproportionate transmission rates, health disparities for Black women, and access to care. The focus of the Black Women’s Affinity Group is to address gaps in connecting with clients, providers, and community through culturally responsive and affirming messaging, provide culturally affirming and empowering self-care, and to ensure Black women are included as decision-makers in regard to prevention and care programming from a planning, financing, and implementation standpoint.
As part of their work, the affinity group has hosted a series of Did You Know? webinars entitled, “DYK Dialogues.” Their upcoming webinar, facilitated by group member Mattyna L Stephens, features a number of speakers, including:
- Shadawn McCants, CEO of Know and Live Counseling and Consulting, PLLC, (keynote address) Mental Health Professional and HIV Advocate
- Sharonda Lynn,Community Advocate and Activist
- Mia Porter, Community Advocate and Activist
- Bonnie Samuel, Playwright/Poet
The webinar will address how Black women respond to and thrive with an HIV diagnosis while often confronting the associated fear, shame, and stigma they might experience. The webinar seeks to not only address these concerns, but also offer support and resources for navigating systems of care and accessing culturally-affirming mental health resources.
We asked the keynote speaker, Shadawn McCants, to share her thoughts on a few questions to give a preview of the wisdom she will be sharing on the webinar.

AT: What motivated you to get involved in mental health advocacy?
SM: My motivation was from my own experiences with mental health since childhood. Since the age of remembrance I have always stated I wanted to be a social worker. As I matured, attended college and began working in the arena of mental health it was inevitable that I would become an advocate due to the disparities and lack of access to culturally competent care for marginalized communities and individuals.
AT: What are some of the biggest challenges for Black Women accessing mental health services?
SM: One of the biggest challenges is the belief that Black Women are Super Heroes or invincible therefore they don’t need mental health treatment. Very often the assumption is that Black Women “got it.” The expectation of Black Women is to live up to the cliché Strong Black Woman…well that is a myth! Far too many Black Women have internalized this mantra. It halts their ability to ask for help when needed or results in their symptoms being ignored when brought to the attention of medical/clinical professionals. Additional barriers include access to culturally competent professionals (i.e., Black therapist) and affordable services.
AT: Why is it important for people to understand the unique intersectionality of stigma, living with HIV, and mental health? How does the unique intersectionality of stigma, living with HIV, and mental health impact Black Women’s health outcomes?
SM: The intersectionality of stigma, living with HIV and mental health is impacted by the sheer fact that a diagnosis of HIV is PTSD! It is traumatic and requires a level of mental and emotional wellness from the moment an individual is given the (HIV) diagnosis. When stigma becomes internalized shame and is untreated, ignored, or violated by the systems that were built to protect them, it results in mistrust, disappointment and at worst a defeated mindset that may impact their desire and drive to get or stay in care.
Want to hear more from Shadawn and the other presenters? Join us and register here today (and make sure to share widely!)