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Hill Harper: Actor, Activist, Author, Advocate Everything's coming up Hill Harper these days. On the CBS crime drama CSI:NY, Hill plays a brilliant medical examiner who helps solve New York City's toughest cases. On the nation's political stage, he offers insightful commentary informed by his days at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government and the Harvard Law School, where he was classmates and friends with President Barack Obama. On the talk show circuit, he shares thoughts from his latest book, The Conversation (©2009), a penetrating look at relationships between men and women and the keys to forging lasting partnerships. And now, with the unveiling of his public service advertisement (PSA) with Until There's A Cure® Foundation (UTAC), Hill sounds the clarion call for everyone to play a part in eradicating HIV/AIDS.
UTAC has been rallying community support in the fight against HIV/AIDS ever since its doors opened in 1993. Each of the one million UTAC bracelets sold creates the opportunity for open communication about HIV/AIDS while generating funds toward awareness and prevention education, care services, vaccine development and public policy. For the past 15 years, a host of celebrities and publishers from 120+ magazines have joined UTAC's PSA campaign to sustain public attention on the pandemic. Hill has been able to ply his craft to elevate awareness among millions of persons who might not otherwise get the information through newspapers and/or websites. In 2000, he delivered an Award-winning performance in the fact-based independent film The Visit as an HIV+ prisoner wrongly accused. Four years later, he played a fictional HIV+ character in a 2-story arc on Showtime's hit series Soul Food. In his preparation for these roles, he met with people who were HIV+ or had full-blown AIDS. It was an eye-opening experience. "[Those meetings] increased my sensitivity to the challenges they face. Their treatment regimens come with a lot of ancillary effects on their bodies. They suffer physically and emotionally," he notes. "There is a lot about the disease that isn't discussed in the media." In an era where sex enters into the equation at increasingly young ages, Hill also offers frank advice in his books, Letters to a Young Brother (©2006) and Letters to a Young Sister (©2008). He encourages young people to talk about HIV/AIDS as they come together sexually. It isn't simply a question of personal responsibility; it is a matter of life and death. Raising awareness is only part of the equation. For conversations to attain the level of honesty necessary to stem the tide of infection, our communities need a change of heart. "We need to replace the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS with compassion. We can't be afraid to talk about it with one another. We can't stand by while thousands of persons living with HIV/AIDS suffer physical pain and emotional isolation," Hill says. "We can make a big difference in people's lives. And it can happen incrementally with everyone doing their part." Download this story as a PDF file. » Home | Shop | Donate | Get Involved | Grants | Partnerships | Retail Program |
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Until There's A Cure Foundation |
"If we all devote resources to putting a stop to this insidious disease, I believe we'll find a cure," he asserts. "Some have the resource of time or money. For others, it's intellectual capital or scientific ability. Everyone has a skill that could make a difference. And it all starts with building awareness."