1. The country believed that AIDS was a gay disease, and outreach was primarily focused in white, gay communities, when Phill Wilson believed that AIDS affected the black community much more.
10 Facts About Phill Wilson
1. 2.
When his partner died of an HIV-related illness in 1989, Phill Wilson channeled his grief into activism.
3.
In 1981, Phill Wilson was already involved in the gay community in Chicago through sports activities and social activities.
4.
From 1990 to 1995, Phill Wilson served as the co-chair of the Los Angeles HIV Health Commission.
5.
Phill Wilson took a break from work in 1997, when his disease became too immobilizing.
6.
Phill Wilson went back to work in 1999, when he founded the Black AIDS Institute.
7.
In December 2018, Phill Wilson stepped down as CEO after nearly twenty years, in order to better allow the organization to plan for the future.
8.
Phill Wilson has said that when he dies, he hopes people will remember him for not giving up.
9.
Phill Wilson has published articles in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Essence, Ebony, Vibe, and Jet and POZ.
10.
In 1999 Phill Wilson was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.