Mahlon Randolph is a human rights and HIV/AIDS advocate who is impassioned to serve his community through education and advocacy. Actively working toward aiding individuals in gaining a deeper understanding of global human rights. Randolph is employed at The Center for Civil & Human Rights in downtown Atlanta, where he facilitates educational content on American history and global rights. In 2016, he was named by Georgia Equality as a member of the Youth HIV Policy Advisor for the Atlanta Continum of Care. He possesses an associate’s degree in political science from Albany State University, in Albany, Georgia. Presently he is completing his bachelor’s of science degree in public policy with a concentration in planning & economic development at Georgia State University (GSU) in Atlanta, Georgia. As a young man diagnosed with HIV/AIDS at the age of 19 who experienced homelessness, he found himself charged to fight for marginalized and underserved populations after realizing the prevalence of misconceptions and how damaging they are to those communities. Since his diagnosis, he has taken on the active roll of helping facilitate conversations that support people of color, individuals in the LGBTQ community, individuals living with HIV/AIDS, and individuals experiencing homelessness and poverty. Randolph has demonstrated his deep commitment to humanity by actively serving on the Georgia Prevention & Care Council; which oversees and plans for the prevention and care of individuals living with HIV/AIDS in the state of Georgia.
Marxavian Jones is currently works as a Senior Research Interviewer at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University in Atlanta,Ga. He collaborates with several of the local Community-Based and AIDS Service Organizations to raise community consciousness as it pertains to the impact of the HIV epidemic in the Atlanta area. Jones is original from Yazoo City, MS and attended Jackson State University earning a Bachelor’s of Finance degree in 2009. Jones also possess a Master’s of Public Administration degree with a concentration in Healthcare Administration from Auburn University.Growing up in Mississippi presented Jones with a clear illustration of the impact of an array of social determinants of health. He was convinced that his community was being negatively impacted by health disparities and inequalities. As a response, he has been an advocate for social justice and the end of discrimination against marginalized populations, such as people of color and the LGBT community, for numerous years. Jones aspires to continuously shine his light on his community and assist in the fight against epidemic and poverty, improve capacity-building among “target populations”, and build young black leaders across the globe.
Deontez Wimbley is a Community Health Educator with Planned Parenthood Southeast as well as an Atlanta Youth HIV Policy Advisor with Georgia Equality. Wimbley has set out to educate the masses and decrease the susceptibility of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). He believes that even in a city with HIV rates comparable to 3rd world countries, zero new infections is possible. A proud native of Atlanta, Wimbley has been fortunate enough to witness much of the economic and social change in the city. These eye witness account of Atlanta’s evolution has deeply shaped Deontez’s passion to serve his hometown in the field of Public Health. For Wimbley, public health gained its place in the society by addressing various intersecting issues. Many of those intersections inform Deontez’s identity as a young black gay man living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Since diagnosis, Deontez has journeyed to a place in life where, when newly diagnosed he was consumed with fear and anxiety, today he is living proudly, boldly, and unapologetically.
John Simpson brings an energy that focuses on the youth of the LGBT community and hopes that young people can see successful people that resemble them so they can see that being a part of the LGBT community is more to then sex, drugs, and clubs. A native Of Ohio, Simpson have has joined in being apart of the Youth HIV Policy Advisor board. He has been an HIV advocate since before I was diagnosed in 2009. His personal journey may not a pleasant one, but he feels that it can be empowering story on how far God has brought him. Simpson hopes to start a not for profit organization that mirrors the big brothers and big sisters program that is focused on the LGBT youth.
Alphonso Mills is a native of Charleston, SC from a military family blessed with the opportunity to travel across the United States and to 4 different countries. His diverse background of different cultures and ways of life fuels his passion to fight for communities that are misunderstood, misrepresented, and not treated equally to the majority. He is currently working as a Medical Secretary for Piedmont Healthcare, and is looking to further his career in Mental Health. His goal is to become a Counselor and Life Coaching for anyone in need, but tailoring his efforts to the LGBTQ community and the stressors we face with self acceptance, self esteem, and regaining empowerment. HIV/AIDS has infiltrated the community, and brought stigma and stress along for the ride. With the help of like minded individuals, Alphonso plans to change the face of HIV to let people know there is life, love, and holistic peace after a positive diagnosis.
Antonio Newman Jr. is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps. He recently graduated with a Bachelors in Business Administration with a concentration in Management and is currently pursuing his MBA. Newman serves as a HIV Research Assistant on Emory’s Youth Advisory Board and volunteers at various support foundations. He firmly believes, “a vision begins with an individual, but change requires an entire community”. With this concept in mind, he thrives to one day inspire and empower today’s youth on issues regarding HIV/AIDS stigma and homelessness. As a person living with HIV, Newman wishes to help increase treatment adherence and the maintaining of an undetectable (controlled) status. After graduation, he plans to manage a transitional housing facility for veterans and individuals living with HIV.