Thomas Clodefelter (left) and Holly Racer lead the Triad Health Project's float during Greensboro's Holiday Parade on Dec. 6.
‘We've forgotten about the conversation’: HIV/AIDS still hits the South as awareness fades
45 years after the first reported cases of HIV/AIDS in the U.S., the fight against this disease is far from over, especially in the South. According to the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the South accounted for 52% of all HIV diagnoses in the U.S. in 2023. "We know that HIV/AIDS has had a disproportionate effect on people of color or queer people of color in this country," Professor of communication studies at Vanderbilt University Jeff Bennett said. "You have many people living in rural areas. You might have distrust of medical providers, you have the social stigma.”
