Inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt, the Southern AIDS Living Quilt showcases 45 women living with or affected by HIV. The participants, whose tales are told on video, represent southern states hard hit by HIV, such as Florida, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina.

The cyber quilt, which launched last October, aims to empower positive people, reduce stigma and encourage testing. And the need is apparent—more people are living with and dying from AIDS in the American South than any other part of the nation. In some regions, women make up half those cases. “These testimonials are so compelling,” Bambi Gaddist, DrPH, a Southern AIDS Living Quilt board member, told POZ. “[They] provide an excellent opportunity to learn and ask questions.”  

Meet the ladies at livingquilt.org.