A Voice for Women, A Lifelong Commitment to Hope:Cinnamen’s HIV advocacy reflects the spirit of the Dr. A. Brad Truax Awards

By Cesar A Reyes

For more than 25 years, Cinnamen has made it her mission to ensure that people living with HIV, especially women whose voices have too often been overlooked, are seen, heard, and included in the decisions that shape their lives. Her advocacy grew from personal experience, a determination to challenge stigma, and a belief that everyone deserves access to care, support, and the opportunity to be heard.

In 2026, Cinnamen received the HIV Planning, Advocacy, and/or Policy Development Award, part of the Dr. A. Brad Truax Awards, which recognize individuals whose work helps shape the local response to HIV. The recognition came as a surprise to someone who has spent decades doing the work because she believes in it, not because she expects anything in return.

“When I learned that I had been selected, I was honestly shocked,” she says. “It’s always been hard for me to take kudos, and I don’t do this work for recognition. I’ve been committed to this community for over 25 years simply because it matters.”

But her story is also a reminder of why recognition matters, especially for advocates whose work often happens far from public view.

Cinnamen grew up in a military family and spent much of her life in San Diego. Even as a student, she was drawn to leadership, running for class office and volunteering whenever she could. In the 1990s, she moved to Milwaukee seeking distance and sobriety. She eventually returned to San Diego when she became pregnant, hoping to be close to her family. Then, in December 1993, she received a diagnosis that changed the course of her life: she was HIV-positive.

At the time, women living with HIV often struggled to find their place in a system that did not always recognize their needs. Many services were built around other populations, leaving women fighting not only the virus but also the silence and stigma surrounding their experiences. Cinnamen became a client of UCSD and Christie’s Place. For two years, she waited to learn whether her daughter had contracted HIV. When she finally learned that her daughter was HIV-negative, it brought an enormous sense of relief after a long period of uncertainty.

The challenges extended beyond her health. Her family cut her off, leaving her to navigate a difficult chapter without the support she had hoped for. But instead of allowing those experiences to silence her, Cinnamen found a reason to speak louder.

Having experienced violation as a child, she reached a point where she refused to let others dismiss her or the women facing similar struggles. She wanted women living with HIV to have equal access to services and to be included in conversations that affected their lives. She also wanted to build connections between women and the LGBTQ+ community, whose organizations were among the few offering HIV support at the time.

Irene Milton, the founder of Christie’s Place, introduced her to the San Diego HIV Planning Group and encouraged her to attend a meeting as a public member. Cinnamen quickly realized that simply showing up was not enough. By her second meeting, she had applied to become a member. Later, Kelly Bridgeforth and Acintia Robinson invited her to join the consumer council, recognizing her commitment to advocating for women.

She remembers being asked at one point, “What are you doing here?” Her answer was direct: “We have the same disease, and we are staying here.”

Those words capture the heart of her advocacy. Cinnamen was not asking for special treatment. She was demanding a place for women in a conversation that concerned them just as deeply as anyone else.

That is also what makes the Dr. A. Brad Truax Awards so important. Held on World AIDS Day, the awards recognize the people who continue to fight for better care, stronger services, and a future without the stigma that still surrounds HIV. They honor those who came before, those doing the work today, and those who will carry it forward.

“The significance of the Dr. A. Brad Truax Awards is that they remind the entire San Diego community that HIV has not gone away,” Cinnamen says.

The ceremony also offers an opportunity to remember those lost to HIV, including people whose lives were cut short by late testing, limited access to medication, and stigma. Just as importantly, it shines a light on the advocates who keep showing up, often without recognition, and who need to know their work makes a difference.

“Recognizing them helps prevent burnout and reminds all of us why this work matters,” she says. “It reinforces that we are all on the same team, or as I like to say, ‘in the same pond.’”

For Cinnamen, receiving the award brought that message home. Standing onstage with her daughter, Chanel, and knowing her granddaughter, Destiny, was in the audience made the moment especially meaningful. It was a reminder that her work was not only about policy meetings or access to services. It was also about family, the future, and the possibility of making life better for the next generation.

Cinnamen encourages others to become part of that future. Getting tested, learning about HIV prevention options such as PrEP, talking openly with loved ones, and supporting organizations that serve people living with HIV are all ways to help. She also urges community members to attend San Diego HIV Planning Group meetings, listen to the discussions, and share their own experiences. Meeting information is available at sdplanning.org.

For Cinnamen, advocacy begins when people stop looking away and start recognizing their shared responsibility to one another.

When asked to complete the phrase “The WORD is,” she chooses a message that has sustained her through sobriety and decades of HIV advocacy: “Always providing hope.”

“When you have hope, you know that there will be a tomorrow,” she says. “You believe that you can overcome challenges and that new opportunities for success are always possible.”

It is a simple message, but one that carries the weight of her lived experience. Through the Dr. A. Brad Truax Awards, Cinnamen’s story reminds us that the fight against HIV is about more than medicine and policy. It is about people who refuse to be silenced, communities that refuse to give up, and the hope that keeps everyone moving forward.