Maria Davis: AIDS Survivor Tells Her Story

In 1995, Maria Davis was a successful New York hip hop promoter (featured prominently on Jay-Z's first album 'Reasonable Doubt') when her world was turned upside down. An HIV test she had taken as part of an application for a life insurance policy came back positive. She had unknowingly contracted the disease from her soon-to-be husband, and three years later she was diagnosed with full-blown AIDS.

That same year, in 1998, Davis became an activist to help others learn about the dangers of HIV/AIDS. Davis represents a group that has been disproportionately affected by the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. and abroad.
According to the CDC, African-American and Hispanic women account for 80 percent of AIDS cases in the U.S., even though they represent less than a quarter of all American women. Nearly 70% of these women contracted the disease through heterosexual relations. Davis hopes to inspire others to find out their HIV status and learn safe-sex practices through her non-profit organization, Can't Be Silenced. In honor of World AIDS Day, for which Davis is a national spokesperson, she shared her story with Black Voices. Source