The documentary shows Black Women Leading the fight, the healing, and the conversation on World AIDS Day. Watch on Hulu on Dec. 1.
On World AIDS Day, the global spotlight tilts toward remembrance, resilience, and renewed commitment. But this year, a new documentary urges us to expand that lens, to center the voices that history has too often pushed to the margins.
Living Proof, a compelling new documentary executive-produced by Emmy-winning actress and advocate Sheryl Lee Ralph and The DIVA Foundation, arrives as both a revelation and a reclamation. It unearths the stories of Black women living with and affected by HIV, voices that remain dangerously underrepresented in mainstream narratives despite the staggering reality: Black women continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of HIV cases in the United States.
Filmed in Atlanta, one of the epicenters of the HIV epidemic in the South, Living Proof follows the deeply personal and community-driven work of Freda Jones and Kennedi Lowman, co-founders of LOTUS (Loving Ourselves Through Unity and Strength).
LOTUS is more than an organization, it’s a sanctuary. A space where Black women can speak without shame, learn without judgment, and heal in the presence of one another. From honest dialogues about prevention and treatment to empowering discussions about PrEP, Jones and Lowman are shifting how Black women see themselves and how they see each other.
Their work echoes across living rooms, community centers, and digital spaces, reminding women that their stories are worth telling, and worth fighting for.
Beyond personal testimony, the documentary doesn’t shy away from the broader landscape. It examines the medical discrimination, stigma, and underfunded public health systems that create a perfect storm for delayed care and overlooked symptoms. These obstacles aren’t abstract; they’re lived realities for countless Black women across the country.
Yet Living Proof is not a story of despair. It is a story of reclamation, of Black women reclaiming their health, their narratives, and their sense of power. Through support networks like LOTUS, the film demonstrates how shared leadership, sisterhood, and culturally competent care are rewriting the script for what’s possible.
Directed by Zeberiah Newman, the documentary carries forward the legacy of Sheryl Lee Ralph’s 2023 World AIDS Day special Unexpected, which earned two Emmy nominations for its portrayal of Black mothers navigating HIV while creating communities of solidarity for families.
This time, Ralph expands the frame, illuminating the journeys of Black women across generations and identities, from organizers to survivors to those simply seeking a safe place to land.
Living Proof is made possible through a powerful partnership between The DIVA Foundation, Gilead Sciences, and OraQuick, in collaboration with ABC Owned Television Stations. The project also features a stirring musical score by Emmy and Grammy-nominated composer B.Slade, whose work adds emotional depth and quiet thunder to the film’s most intimate scenes.
It is a reminder that HIV is not just a medical condition; it is a social, cultural, and economic reality shaped by race, gender, and access. And it is also a reminder that Black women, in their brilliance, tenacity, and tenderness, continue to lead us forward.
