Community

“Stay HIV Healthy”: Jesse Brooks Promotes HIV Awareness

Published

9 years ago

March 24, 2015

For journalist and HIV advocate Jesse Brooks, spreading the message of HIV/AIDS awareness and healthy living has been a form of therapy for him.

After being diagnosed in 1993 with HIV, he has used his experience to motivate others who are coping with the disease to live a healthy lifestyle despite their status. As a community advocate with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), Brooks is featured in the “Stay HIV Healthy” campaign, promoting this message on billboards in urban communities across the nation – currently in Oakland, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.

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The campaign posters can be seen in BART stations and on AC Transit buses in Oakland, uplifting a message that many people can relate to.

“People can relate to me being their brother, their uncle, their father,” said Brooks, hoping to support individuals who may have someone HIV-positive in their life.

“My message is you can live with HIV and you can live healthy,” he said, now 22 years after his diagnosis. “This starts a conversation around a subject that is uncomfortable for most…and it’s given me a large platform to reach many people in diverse lives.”

He added, “It’s important for all communities but especially the Black community because we’ve been hit so hard and have disproportionate transmission rates, infant mortality, and so on. It’s important that we see ourselves when we talk about different diseases and the facts, but also when we talk about the solutions.”

When Brooks was first diagnosed, he saw it as a death sentence, during a time before advanced medical treatment was accessible. He battled with drug and alcohol abuse to cope with the pain.

“So many people back then were dying all around me, even taking the medication they had then,” Brooks said, adding that HIV/AIDS campaigns during the 90s did not really speak to his pain or the shame he felt.

“It was when I changed my life to focus on my health that I started getting better. As I worked on myself physically, I had to work on my self mentally, spiritually, and start loving myself,” he said.

He advises those living with HIV to “get care and advocate for yourself.”

“It takes more than physical [health] to be healthy; it’s mental health and spiritual health,” said Brooks.

Brooks also created a slogan, LHIVing (living with HIV), combining fashion and HIV/AIDS awareness on t-shirts to give hope and inspire those infected and affected by the disease.

For more information, visit www.lhiving.org.

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Related Topics:AHF AIDS Healthcare Foundation HIV Health & Awareness HIV/AIDS Jeese Brooks LHIVing Stay HIV Healthy

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

6 hours ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

4 days ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.