2017 USCA Social Media Fellows Compete in Social Media Content-Producing Contest

Jourdan Barnes, Community Engagement Specialist, Louisiana Office of Public Health and STD/HIV Program, David Armstead, HIV Program Monitor, Louisiana Office of Public Health and STD/HIV Program, Johnny Guaylupo, Assistant Director, Youth and Prevention Services, Housing Works, Inc., New York City

Jourdan Barnes, a community-engagement specialist at the Louisiana Office of Public Health and STD/HIV Program, wrote a personal essay that won first place in the content-creation contest cellowship, which took place Sept. 5-10, 2017, in Washington, D.C.

David Armstead, an HIV program monitor who also works with the Louisiana Office of Public Health and STD/HIV Program, and Johnny Guyalupo, assistant director of youth and prevention services for Housing Works Inc. in New York City, tied for second place for their Facebook Live interviews. Armstead's video is available here, and Guyalupo's can be found here. Each interviewed transgender activist and doctoral student Octavia Yazmin Lewis on Facebook Live shortly after a group of trans people disrupted conference proceedings, sharing that news with the world.

The Body's Emily Huang, who won third place in the contest, spoke with Mark S. King, a member of the conference's "Over 50 Living With HIV Scholar" cohort, a conversation that she shot, edited and then posted to The Body's Facebook page.

Barnes, Armstead, Guyalupo and Huang were among 17 fellows who participated in the five-day, boot-camp-style intensive designed to familiarize HIV advocates with social media best practices, the latest HIV science and policy developments, various community experiences, and a networking platform to build and strengthen relationships. Conducted in partnership with NMAC (formerly the National Minority AIDS Council), FHI 360 and Gilead Sciences and facilitated by the Black AIDS Institute, this year's program integrated social media with content-development skills and helped participants become familiar with a selection of HIV issues. FHI 360 featured participants' work on its Crowd360 platform. The contest was part of the fellowship.

As the winner, Barnes was flown to Los Angeles to attend and report on the Heroes in the Struggle Award Ceremony and Gala Reception and Awards Presentation. The Black AIDS Institute is featuring Barnes' personal essay about his experience at the conference in this week's issue of the Black AIDS Weekly, and will share the essay with its media partners.

All 17 contest participants were required to produce social media content during each day of the conference, and their work will be followed and featured in the Black AIDS Weekly over the next six months.

Hilary Beard is editor-in-chief of the Black AIDS Weekly.