Creating Your Legacy
This issue celebrates the twentieth anniversary of Positively Aware magazine, which first began publishing as TPANews, the agency newsletter of Test Positive Aware Network.
I was especially thrilled and deeply touched that each and every former editor of Positively Aware, along with many others who have been involved with TPAN and PA from the very beginning, was more than happy to contribute to this special issue. Together, their stories offer a brief snapshot of our history, and of the epidemic as a whole, as seen through the lens of Positively Aware.
Many people over the years have contributed to the growth and success of this publication, and have done so because I believe they understood the importance of providing accurate, unbiased information about HIV and its treatment. As it grew into the national voice of a peer-led, community-based organization, Positively Aware offered hope to many when there was none. Our mission of providing support and information to others infected and affected by HIV still remains to this day.
Unfortunately, there is just not room enough on these pages to thank everyone I’d like to thank, but I would be remiss not to mention two former editors, Steve Whitson and Charles Clifton, both who passed away quite suddenly while serving as editor. Steve and Charles were both incredibly gifted and talented individuals, each of whom I admired and respected, and each of whom brought their own unique qualities and abilities to their work. The dark days immediately following their deaths were indeed difficult times, but somehow we all pulled together, and we managed to get through them.
And that, to me, is the trademark of PA and TPAN, and will hopefully be our legacy—providing support and information, not only to the community at large, and to our readers, but also to each other. We must never lose sight of that ideal, because it is what we were founded on, what we are all about, and ultimately, it’s what gets me through the day.
Recently I had the privilege of taking part in a World AIDS Day program put together by a group of students and faculty at Columbia College, my alma mater. Columbia holds a special place in my heart, because it was while attending Columbia nearly twenty years ago that I took my very first HIV test, which came back positive. Looking back now, I can honestly say that staying in school and working to finish and get my degree, even after receiving that devastating news, was a conscious choice on my part to remain committed to living. I was not going to give up without a fight, and I was determined to seek out the help I needed, which eventually led me to TPAN.
As I stood and watched these young leaders of tomorrow, I was encouraged and heartened by their enthusiasm and commitment to raising awareness about HIV and AIDS using an artistic medium, whether it was through spoken word or music. Watching them reminded me that we all need to continually explore what it is that gives us passion, that which keeps us committed—whatever it is that gives us reason to hope. Because without hope, and without offering and extending that hope and help to others, no amount of information, education, or prevention is ever going to get us through the day, or guide us to a better tomorrow.
Thanks especially to the staff of Positively Aware magazine, Enid Vázquez, Keith Green, Sue Saltmarsh, Joe Fierke, and Russell McGonagle, and to the rest of the staff and crew at TPAN, for making each day a joy, and an adventure. And thanks to my family and friends for your faith in me, and to my partner Stephen, for putting up with me, and for your never-ending support and guidance.
And finally, and most importantly, I want to thank all of the many volunteers of Positively Aware magazine and TPAN, without whom none of this would have ever been possible. While words cannot sufficiently express my gratitude to you, it is only because of your tireless efforts and continued commitment to getting the work done that we are even still here.
So remember to search for and find your passion. Never give up hope. And reach out to others, whether it be through volunteering, or just taking the time to sit with a friend and listen. Step out of your comfort zone, if only for a moment, and begin to create your own legacy, and discover what “committed to living” means to you.
Take care of yourself, and each other.
Jeff Berry
Editor
publications@tpan.com
Discuss this Editor's Note in our new discussion forum
