2021 World AIDS Day Observance

Vimeo Livestream, 8am CT
Free event with suggested contributions $5-10

In commemoration of World AIDS Day, the Rothko Chapel hosted a morning observance to show support and stand in solidarity with the millions of people living with and impacted by HIV/AIDS.

The morning program included live music, personal testimonials, and guided reflection. Shadawn McCants, Owner and Clinical Director of Know and Live Counseling and Consulting, provided first-person testimonial on living with HIV and issues facing Black women in the HIV community. Jeffrey Campbell, Chief Program Officer at AIDS Foundation Houston, shared information on the state of the battle against HIV in Houston and Texas. Moments of reflection were led by Rev. Troy Treash, Senior Pastor of Resurrection MCC, and music was performed throughout by Kelsey Sham on harp.

Established by the World Health Organization in 1988 as the first ever global health day, World AIDS Day takes place on the 1st day of December each year. It is an occasion to reflect on the millions of people who have died from HIV/AIDS since the virus was first identified in 1984, and a time to consider how to better care for the 38 million people living with HIV/AIDS, and their families, friends and loved ones who have been deeply impacted. Learn more here.

About program participants
Rev. Elder Troy Treash has served for eight years as the Senior Pastor of Resurrection MCC in Houston, TX. For ten years prior to Resurrection as the Executive Director of Reconciling Ministries Network, Troy flew nationally from home base in Chicago, IL to advocate for equality for LGBTQ persons church by church, network by network, and conference by conference within the United Methodist Church. His ordained ministry began in 1991 in the trenches of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Houston, TX as the Director of the Bering Support Network. He is a member of Houston Coalition Against Hate and serves on the Congregational Council for Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston. He shares life with Walter, his husband of 23 years; Michael, their adopted son; one beagle, Tip; and one cat, Spot. He enjoys cooking, reading, weeding, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, oceans, and aspen trees. He struggles at times with teenager parenting, marathon zoom meetings, defeating white supremacy, and balancing life. He relies upon God’s grace.

Jeffrey Campbell, a native of Cuero, TX, is a graduate of Texas State University.  Currently working as the Chief Program Officer for AIDS Foundation Houston, Jeffrey has spent the past two decades working in the field of HIV prevention in Houston and around the nation.  Jeffrey is very intentional about creating safe physical and virtual spaces for conversations that explore healthy conversations about sex, sexuality, orientation and gender expression.  As an ordained minister, he has spent a number of years working to educate and empower Black church leaders on ways to effectively approach HIV prevention with their conversations.Inspired by his elders, Jeffrey’s greatest joy is when he is providing safe spaces for marginalized people to heal and be empowered.

Shadawn McCants is a furious leader, gifted therapist, public speaker, businesswoman, and a Licensed Professional Counselor. Shadawn is the owner and Clinical Director of Know and Live Counseling and Consulting, a private practice counseling agency in Houston, TX where she specializes in the healing of women, adolescents, and families with a specialty in individuals living with HIV.  Shadawn is also the founder of 2 Know is 2 Live, a 501c3 organization dedicated to promoting active, engaged, and empowered women and communities to address HIV/AIDS disparities by focusing on awareness, education, and healing. Shadawn McCants is the Co-Chair for the Texas Black Women’s Health Initiative Houston chapter and CDC Ambassador for the Let’s Stop HIV Together Initiative. 

Harpist Kelsey Sham currently studies at Rice University with Paula Page, and completed her Bachelor of Harp Performance degree under Yolanda Kondonassis at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Ms. Sham also manages a private studio, teaches in the Shepherd School of Music’s Young Children Preparatory Division, and was recently named a Fulbright semi-finalist for her proposal on interdisciplinary performance and classical harp. A dedicated orchestral musician, Ms. Sham has performed with ensembles across the United States, and performs with her flute, harp, and viola trio, the Elysian Trio. As a DACAMERA Young Artist, she has programmed recitals for historically underserved communities, introduced music and culture to neurodiverse students, and frequently engages in arts outreach.