AIDS Walk South Dallas supports people living with HIV, raises awareness and money for services

On Saturday morning, supporters, allies and community leaders walked down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Dallas to raise awareness in the fight against HIV and AIDS in North Texas.

Organizers said the annual AIDS Walk South Dallas 5k event is more than just a yearly walk. It's an effort to raise awareness, promote healthcare services and show support.

"In 2017, I was diagnosed with HIV, after graduating college," said Christopher Walker, a board member with the group. "HIV is still very much a taboo topic, folks are not having conversations around HIV, and society makes people living with HIV feel like they are less than and not worth it."

For 16 years, the event and its organizers have worked to "move the needle," educating the community about the disease and supporting those living with it, while bringing critical healthcare services directly to them. Over a dozen HIV/AIDS prevent groups were at Saturday's event providing everything from on-site testing to counseling.

"Some of the people that come to this walk would never walk into a clinic, would never walk into a hospital, would never walk into an organization, but they will come out and participate in this community event," said AIDS Walk South Dallas President and CEO Auntjuan Wiley.

With more than 21,000 people in Dallas County living with HIV and AIDS, organizers said now is the time to break the stigma.

"People need to know that it goes not discriminate, anybody can get HIV," said board member Helen Zimba. "They need to know people are people, everybody needs help."

For more information on resources and how you can get involved, you can visit aidswalksouthdallas.com.