Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to recognize the contributions and achievements of the Hispanic community. Within our work at AIDS United, we remember Cuban-American immigrant, advocate and educator Pedro Zamora, who remains a resounding name within our community. On National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day, we remember Zamora’s work and spirit, finding strength in it to continue advocating for the Latinx community.
Born in Cuba and raised in Miami, Zamora learned of his HIV diagnosis when he was just 17 years old. Shortly after graduating high school, Zamora joined a Miami-based HIV/AIDS resource center called The Body Positive where he began talking with others about living with HIV and raising awareness in his community. An inspiring speaker, Zamora would go onto become an AIDS educator, traveling to schools, churches, conferences and even testifying before the United States Congress calling for more explicit HIV/AIDS education programs in American schools and for Spanish-speaking communities.
In 1994, Zamora joined the MTV reality show The Real World: San Francisco and shared his HIV status with his housemates and viewers across the nation watching from their TV. As the show continued, viewers learned from Zamora’s advocacy as he spoke to students at schools across the country about HIV and educated his fellow housemates. His work was in tandem with his declining health as a result of the disease. Shortly after the release of the final episode of The Real World: San Francisco, Zamora passed away.
According to the CDC, of the new HIV diagnoses among adolescent and adults in 2022, 33% were among Hispanic/Latino people. Hispanic/Latino gay and bisexual men remain among the priority populations in the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS). As we continue to address the needs of the Hispanic community and in particular Hispanic men who have sex with men, we remember the advocacy of Zamora in fighting for these communities.
AIDS United continues to honor the memory of Pedro Zamora through the Pedro Zamora Public Policy Fellowship, where fellows with an interest and passion for social justice and public health advocacy can build essential knowledge and skills to advocate for people living with or impacted by HIV.
As a queer Latina woman, Zamora’s story served as an inspiration for me to pursue this work and I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to do so through the fellowship. The Pedro Zamora Public Policy Fellowship has impacted me in ways that I didn’t expect. The learning experiences I have had and the opportunities to lead that I’ve been afforded through this fellowship with AIDS United have been invaluable. As a fellow I have been able to support the policy needs of various advocacy efforts, from HIV & aging, harm reduction, racial justice, and decriminalization. In addition, I was able to support the organization of AIDSWatch, ensuring that the voices and needs of those living with or impacted by HIV are heard in the halls of Congress. These experiences with AIDS United and through the fellowship have built my passion for this work and Zamora’s legacy continues to inspire me to make change.
To learn more about how you can contribute to the fight to end the epidemic visit cdc.gov/stophivtogether or email pact@aidsunited.org to connect with a member of AIDS United’s Partnering & Communicating Together team to find ways to increase the impact of your work in the communities you serve.
