Rising Blackness is a program that draws on the collective strengths and wisdom of Black gay, same gender loving men and transgender women who live in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco.

For one year Rising Blackness engaged the Tenderloin community in educational, cultural and social activities as a means of implementing new HIV prevention activities. Over the course of the program, members of Rising Blackness held nine community events including a World AIDS Day community discussion, a march and community forum for Black HIV Awareness Day, a safer sex party and a community health fair.

This special that aired on KRON4 was conceived by Rising Blackness as a way of increasing the visibility of Black gay men and transgender women in the Tenderloin. The special highlights the lives of members of Rising Blackness and their work in the Tenderloin.

Trials & Vials: An HIV Research and Education Blog is sponsored by the HIV Research Section, SFDPH.  Read more about our HIV vaccine studies and UNITY study.