"If They Could Just See" -- A Day With HIV in America

Jeff Berry is the editor of Positively Aware and national spokesman for "A Day with HIV in America."

"I wish people who don't understand what living with HIV means could just see ______."

Many of us can fill in that blank; that "I wish people could see" moment that crystallizes what it means to live with HIV.

It's an image, a moment in our day, a time with a supportive co-worker, family member, or friend when we not only accommodate, but also overcome, the challenges that HIV can often bring to our lives. And to the lives of those we love and care for.

In a few days on Wednesday, September 21 you can share a moment in your daily life through a photograph that tells your story -- in one frame. You can submit that image to the "A Day with HIV in America" photo essay project at www.adaywithhivinamerica.com.

On that single day, people across America -- gay and straight, positive and negative, anyone affected by HIV -- can grab a digital camera and "take a shot" to chronicle a time in their day that tells a story of living with HIV.

Some of the most amazing photographs from last year's essay were seemingly commonplace -- a mother and daughter on a swing, a young man waking with a smile, or someone preparing to take their daily regimen of medications. There were heroic images as well, like the photo of a pastor working in AIDS hospice care, people meeting to organize an HIV fundraising event, and a man getting an HIV test. Together, these images create a remarkable patchwork of stories about HIV in America.

Take a look at more of the photos from last year's album (www.adaywithhivinamerica.com). We hope it inspires you to "take a shot" on Wednesday, September 21 and send in your photograph to "A Day with HIV in America" at the link above. The photo essay will appear in the November/December issue of Positively Aware and will be unveiled at the U.S. Conference on AIDS in Chicago from November 10-13.

The hundreds of photographs we collect and share will tell the untold stories of people who spend each day facing HIV and give meaning to all our lives. Join us on September 21, and take your best shot.