Living Proof is a powerful new documentary special executive-produced by Emmy-winning actress, producer, and advocate Sheryl Lee Ralph in partnership with The DIVA Foundation. The film shines a necessary spotlight on the often-overlooked experiences of Black women living with HIV—voices that remain underrepresented in mainstream conversations about the epidemic.
Set in Atlanta, a key epicenter of the Southern HIV crisis, the documentary follows Freda Jones and Kennedi Lowman, co-founders of LOTUS (Loving Ourselves Through Unity and Strength). Their grassroots organization is reshaping how Black women discuss, confront, and build community around HIV. Through intimate storytelling, Living Proof highlights their work—support groups, open conversations about prevention and PrEP, and safe spaces grounded in sisterhood, healing, and shared leadership.
The documentary also confronts the systemic barriers Black women continue to face, including medical bias, stigma, and limited public health resources. Through Jones and Lowman’s leadership, the film illustrates how Black women are reclaiming their narratives, advocating for themselves, and creating pathways to wellness and autonomy.
Directed by Zeberiah Newman, Living Proof is executive produced by Sheryl Lee Ralph, Newman, Michiel Thomas, and Norman Lee, with music supervision and score by Emmy and Grammy-nominated composer B.Slade. The project is a collaboration between The DIVA Foundation, Gilead Sciences, and OraQuick, in partnership with ABC Owned Television Stations.
Living Proof follows the success of the two-time Emmy-nominated 2023 World AIDS Day special Unexpected, also produced by Sheryl Lee Ralph, which centered on Black mothers living with HIV who built a supportive community for themselves and their children.
