In March we hosted our first virtual event, “Contagious: The Outbreak Narrative, Coronavirus, and Why we Need to Change the Story” with Duke University’s Priscilla Wald. Dr. Wald taught us to listen carefully to the stories we tell about contagion - about who gets sick and why, about how diseases emerge and where - and to track how those stories stigmatize some groups - often those already stigmatized - while influencing the ways the public understands infection.  

As we planned our programming for the year, we were so inspired by Wald’s work that we decided to look back at the stories we tell around another pandemic that has dramatically shaped our lives: HIV/AIDS.  We were especially compelled to stage conversations around HIV given its impact on our South Florida communities; since 2015 Miami-Dade County has ranked #1 in the US for new HIV infections.    So after months of planning, we are pleased to present our first collaboration with FIU's Center for Women’s and Gender Studies and our last program of the calendar year, “Positive: HIV in the Arts, Medicine, and Everyday Life.”

In “Positive” - produced with the support of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine and the Department of Humanities, Health and Society - performing artists join medical experts and scholars from across the humanities and interpretive social sciences to think and talk together about HIV in the arts, medicine and everyday life.

Join us next Tuesday for this very special event in honor of World AIDS Day. As ever, the event is open to all people in all time zones.   

Watch “Positive” Tuesday 17 November at 6pm EST here: HTTPS://GO.FIU.EDU/POSITIVE