Vanessa Johnson

she/her

Co-Executive Director, Ribbon
vjohnson@ribbon3.org

I serve as senior advisor to the Ribbon Organizing Center for the HIV Age Positively Initiative (ROC). In this role, I provide guidance to ROC’s leadership team on strategy, evaluation and policy issues. Also, as part of my responsibilities, I serve with William (Bill) McColl, McColl Strategies. I’m a co-chair for the Policy Action Group, a working group of ROC’s National Community Action Board (NCAB). McColl is a long-time policy veteran, in Washington, D.C., focusing on substance use issues and HIV. The Policy Action Group is responsible for updating ROC and NCAB on federal and state HIV and aging policy and advocacy. It also provides opportunities for community members to shape the HIV and aging policy and advocacy agenda.

Ribbon’s vision “to end the racial and social disparities that rob vulnerable communities of health and wealth” is the primary reason I do this work. Black, Brown, and rural communities around the country, especially in the Deep South, and the people living with HIV community (like me), are the vulnerable communities I serve, passionately.

I was diagnosed with HIV in 1990. As a long-term survivor of over 30 years, I am committed to ensuring that no person living with HIV suffers from debilitating illnesses, co-morbidities or premature death. I believe the best way to ensure successful outcomes is to offer the necessary information, education and skills to people living with HIV. Gender-responsive service delivery, trauma-informed recovery approaches and leadership development are the keys to ensuring that people are meaningfully involved in their lives, and how they choose to manage HIV. We must also provide capacity-building assistance in the form of training, technology transfer and coaching to organizations and individuals who endeavor to serve this often maligned and misunderstood community. Culturally-responsive and justice-oriented service delivery are required, as well. ROC offers the opportunity to work in depth with people living with HIV (who are aging) and the organizations and advocates that serve them.

Besides my love of travel, particularly to the shore or beach, I love watching historical dramas about the following continents with my favorite ones n alphabetical order: Africa, Asia and North America.