Wellness and Sisterhood at HUES

At HUES, wellness and sisterhood are front and center. 

Established nearly four years ago, the group by SFAF is by and for Black women who are living with or at risk for HIV. But even the name (Healing & Uniting Every Sista) makes it clear that group members are coming together for so much more than education and discussion of HIV. This is intentional. 

“I’m actually proud of the fact that we do a good job of decentering HIV,” explained Ebony Gordon, who facilitates and leads HUES. “It’s not the end all be all in people’s lives. We do talk about HIV, and stigma, but this group is about so much more than that.”

Over the past four years, Gordon and her colleagues have built trust in the community, and established a group where participants can focus on total wellness, community, and support. From hosting packed art openings, to intimate support group sessions, the group is fulfilling a clear need for connection among Black women in San Francisco and other parts of the Bay Area. 

“This group has grown out of a real hunger for Black women to just be able to gather and share their lived experience,” said Gordon. “Whether they’re living with HIV or have a reason for prevention. There is a lack of access, and a lack of awareness [about HIV], which is something I’m shocked by because this is the Bay Area! But just candidly, people who think of the Bay Area don’t think about Black people. But we’re here and we’re not getting access to the services that we deserve.”

Gordon is currently conducting a needs assessment for Black women in the San Francisco Bay Area–to find out more about the support and services that they need to stay engaged in HIV prevention and care. The most recent HIV epidemiology report for San Francisco highlights the disparities faced by Black women, with a new diagnosis rate of about six times the rate experienced by white women, and Gordon is eager to expand and adapt her programming to fit any new findings or insights offered by the assessment. 

“We all know there are women out there who are out of care and not engaged. There just aren’t enough case managers to go around. These conversations need to be had. In HUES, we have talked about HIV data from the epidemiology report–women were shocked to hear the disparities were as wide as they were.”

Overall, Gordon is immensely proud of the ways HUES has benefited group members over the years. 

“I do think people really love it,” she said. “There’s a woman who expressed to me recently how she feels like this space has opened up a new level of who she is. There are so many nuanced things that come along with our cultural identity, and we tackle those things together. I’m so proud of our focus on relationships, total wellness, and community.”