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I am the Commission: Kevin Williams and his career path in the HIV field: from volunteer to organizational coach.

Kevin Williams works as a Capacity Building Specialist where he serves both as trainer and organizational coach for organizations that serve clients in communities that are most adversely challenged by HIV/AIDS. Kevin is the second of eight siblings out of Seattle, Washington. He enjoys writing, music of all genres (with special favoritism on Jazz & Bossa Nova) tennis and eating.  He holds a BA in psychology and this career was the right fit for him since he had a propensity for exchange with people .

You have worked on the HIV field for the last 10 years. What motivated you to get involved in this field?
Watching a news broadcast back in the early 90’s and hearing about this mysterious disease no one knew to much about, but were encouraged to talk about with others as a preventive measure.  I remember thinking “who will talk to my youngest brothers (at the time) about this?”  I knew I had to be that person. I decided to volunteer at a local Community Based Organization and started providing condoms and numerous spaces for conversation with my brothers and all their friends…the rest as they say is history.


Having implemented many of the CDC interventions to fight the HIV epidemic in many community-based organizations that target Latino, Caribbean and African American, how do you assess these interventions? Are they effective?  Do they work on the long run?
I think the interventions are great tools for intervening, but are not the “cure all” they are perceived to be.  What works is asking questions specifically of individuals and assisting them to figuring out how they can come up with as many options as possible for continued success and well being of their person and their communities. I believe that when we know how to obtain the tools we need to address ourselves and our surroundings honestly and holistically; this will allow us to consistently remain effective by always taking a critical look and responding uniquely each time.


Being African American, how do you react to the fact your community is being affected disproportionably by HIV/AIDS? What will you do if you have the political influences and economic resources to change the situation?
Knowing that the African American community (and most other communities of color) is adversely affected by this pandemic speaks to me on so many different levels. Most importantly I think the way in which we manage this attach on ourselves is through recognizing and removing patterns that have been deeply instilled by circumstance & social coercion. We have to remember our rich history of survival and purpose while understanding we have the responsibility to redesign our destiny.  This happens by communicating to one another options for communal understanding and growth while uncovering strengths and opportunities individually in ourselves. The freedom to pursue this re-thinking will reshape how we command greater appreciation and acceptance of preserving each other. When social norms shift around stigma, discrimination, education and overall communal cohesion so will the current reality of HIV in African Americans. That day is what inspires me to continue work in the face of these alarming statistics.


The passion you have for your fight against HIV is as strong as your passion for Jazz and Bosa Nova -your two favorite kind of music. What is exactly Bosa Nova?
Bossa Nova is commonly referred to a fusion of Jazz and Samba.  The music came out of Rio de Janerio in the late 50’s thanks to Joao Gilberto and popularized by Antonio Carlos Jobim.  The most recognized & successful single to come out of Bossa Nova is called “The Girl from Ipanema”. Jazz is a music that for me, comes together with imagery and imagination through experimentation.  Without words you simply connect to the timber of the horn, thump of the bass or the snare of the drums. This musical expression has been a favorite ever since our introduction by way of my grandfather’s jazz quartet playing & creating wonderful melodies when I was a child.  My appreciations for Jazz lead me to my love of this hip, sophisticated sound that came from the upscale beachside neighborhood in Rio and blended with the Afro-inspired sounds of Samba from the favelas. I connect to this music so much not only because it reminds me of warm breezy nights where love and enjoyment fill the air, but I feel that it’s a metaphoric description of me…part  cool easy excitement mixed with earthy heart inspiring vibrations and sprinkled with the integrity of its reality, when blended is pretty a cool existence!


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