We’re proud to celebrate Janet Kitchen as a recipient of the Community Pillar Award. Her passion for expanding access to HIV care, championing advocacy, and creating inclusive, affirming spaces—especially for transgender individuals—continues to inspire our mission. This honor represents not just her leadership, but the powerful, collective work of our entire team at Positively U.
Join us in celebrating Janet Kitchen as she is honored with the Marco Castro-Bojorquez Positive Leadership Award by the U.S. PLHIV Caucus. This prestigious award recognizes her outstanding dedication, advocacy, and transformative leadership in supporting people living with HIV.
This is the heart of Positively U: strong community partnerships, compassionate outreach, and a team that shows up fully for the people we serve.
We are so proud of this work and endlessly grateful for a team that leads with excellence, compassion, and heart every single time.
Janet Kitchen’s incredible journey from breast cancer survivor to HIV advocate is nothing short of inspiring. After battling breast cancer and being misdiagnosed with HIV, she became a fierce activist, advocating for HIV awareness, better healthcare treatment, and racial equality in healthcare.
In this powerful video, Janet shares her story of survival, resilience, and the importance of advocacy. She takes us through her personal experiences with breast cancer, the emotional toll of living with a misdiagnosis, and her transformation into a leading voice in the HIV community.
Through Janet’s eyes, you’ll see how medical inequalities impact marginalized communities and why we need more awareness and compassion in treating HIV. She’s on a mission to make sure that no one else feels alone or ignored in their battle with HIV or cancer.
What you’ll learn in this video:
Stay tuned until the end of the video to hear Janet’s message on how she is helping others facing similar health battles.
“One, we know that the person that’s come in for the HIV test is sexually active. We know that they came because of some either education, fear or an inkling that they may be susceptible to HIV, and that’s where the conversation starts,” said PositivelyU Executive Director Janet Kitchen.
Janet Kitchen joins N-Touch News to discuss HIV prevention on Let’s Talk Business.
Learn how Positively U approached their project for WIN 2023: Reducing Isolation and Building Community Through Mental Health Focused Vision Board.
“I decided, and I knew my purpose for building this organization when I was diagnosed in 2005. I was treated very unfairly at the Department of Health because I came in, and I had insurance, but it did not cover my medication. I had to fight in order for me to get my medication. I had to make sure that I could advocate for myself, and what I thought was that if I could, if I could advocate for myself, what about those who could not?”
This inaugural virtual summit focuses on HIV education, through the lens of medical advancements, public policy, and community engagement. Topics discussed will range from eliminating stigma, HIV criminalization, U=U, PrEP access, and engaging communities most at risk for contracting HIV.
