Alicia E. Diggs

Alicia Diggs has been living with HIV for 20 of her 49 years, and she’s made good use of every year.

Not only is she an author, a Ph.D., and a fierce advocate for people living with HIV, she’s also a member of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, the manager for the Office of Community Engagement for the North Carolina-Chapel Hill Center for AIDS Research, and a member of many other HIV support organizations.

“Through my trials and tribulations, I made a decision to fight and stand strong as a woman living with HIV so that I can help my fellow brothers and sisters fight and stand strong,” she says about her decision to be a leader in her community. “It has been important to me to help build coalitions and solidarity within and amongst our diverse communities so that we can dispel the myths, rid the stigma, and educate others about HIV.”