As Black men or men of color who walk the runway of life through a queer/LGBT experience, we are bombarded with a myriad of injustices, inequalities and social ills that devalue our existence. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has been success in helping to push the agenda of our social, psychological,economical and ultimately physical death. Bullshit! We are a strong people, we are a creative people, we are a powerful and resilent people and our lives have value beyond what we could even begin to imagine! We have to first realize our greatness, fight at the intersections of HIV/AIDS to restore the value that the world has taken from our beautiful black queer existences. This transcendent greatness will be our port in the storm and we will not only win this fight against HIV/AIDS but we will become a community of people to be reckoned with. (No T, No Shade)
Jon Gabriel Ortiz, Atlanta resident and member of Atlanta’s “Undetectables” (social support group for HIV positive men of color to reach viral suppression and be HIV Healthy) reminds us that we can find our greatness even in moments of darkness and despair. Jon teaches us a lesson of learning to uptake our true value in this poem:
I AM GREATNESS- Jon Gabriel Ortiz 8/19/99
In the midst of the midnight hour
while the sun beams
drops of sweat on my brow
that water bushes and wide trees
I come into the reality that...
I AM GREATNESS!
Prolific as it may sound,
this is what keeps
razor blades at bay,
pills neatly stacked in bottles,
and alcohol in low quantities.
I AM GREATNESS!
In the smallness behind the façade...
I AM GREATNESS!
In the spit at my feet...
I AM GREATNESS!
In the sad look in daddy’ s eyes...
I AM GREATNESS!
In the absence of condoms...
I AM GREATNSS!
In all that I do...
both good and bad
right and wrong
sinful and righteous...
I AM GREATNESS!
