By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
The Seattle Transitional Grant Area HIV Planning Council recently announced that community activist and media host Deaunte Damper will be honored with the prestigious Ryan White Community Champion Award during its annual summer community celebration. The award recognizes Damper’s exceptional leadership, tireless advocacy and unwavering commitment to community empowerment, particularly in the fight for equitable HIV services and support for marginalized communities.
Named for Ryan White, a teenager who became a national figure in the 1980s after contracting AIDS through a contaminated blood transfusion, the award honors those who continue his legacy of advocacy and education. Diagnosed at 13, White faced intense discrimination that forced him out of school, sparking a legal battle that gained national attention. He later used his platform to educate the public about AIDS and advocate for compassion, ultimately transforming how the disease was perceived.
Damper said receiving an award linked to such a powerful story is deeply meaningful.
“I’m honored to receive the award because of the work that I’ve been able to do not just in the areas of HIV, but leading community efforts, protecting and educating, and building for the lives of the community,” he said.
“[Ryan’s] story is a story of resilience. One of the really big things that is important about his life is the advocacy of what we need to do around HIV/AIDS,” said Damper. “Ryan and his family faced a lot of discrimination, and I think that a lot of his work was really centered around his courage to come out visibly at a young age, living with HIV. He was really a champion for making sure people got access to care.”
Damper, who was diagnosed with HIV in 2013, recently marked 12 years of living with the virus.
“This past weekend I just celebrated 12 years of living with HIV, and that speaks volumes because most of the time we are seeing people that are living with HIV who don’t look like me, Black,” said Damper.
In 2018, Damper started his advocacy journey at People of Color Against AIDS Network, also known as POCAAN, where he spent years helping community members navigate health disparities and housing, and advocating for folks coming out of reentry who were living with HIV or other health disparities.
“[POCAAN] was the first place to give me an opportunity to look at myself as an advocate. And above all else, finally being able to say hey, HIV looks like this too,” said Damper.
Throughout his journey of advocacy, Damper has broken down barriers, encouraged understanding and elevated the many different faces of both the LGBTQ community and people living with HIV, including being named the LGBTQ chair of the Seattle King County NAACP.
“In 2019, I was named NAACP first-ever LGBTQ chair, and that is the first in their 118-year history, and that meant a lot,” Damper said. “Just this year, the NAACP stated in their bylaws that every board should now have an LGBTQ chair, and while it might be small, I feel it came from my advocacy work.”
Andrew Ashiofu, co-chair of the Seattle King County HIV Planning Council, echoed the statement and said that Damper has proven time and time again that he is for the community.
“He has done a lot of work for the community and has been a great voice in the community,” said Ashiofu. “His work with the NAACP shows that Deante is community as a whole and so this is a way for us to say thank you for everything that he has done. We recognize you and we see you, because sometimes people could feel undervalued, but he is someone we value greatly.”
One of the things that drives Damper to continue the fight against HIV is his commitment to being everything his ancestors dreamed of — honoring those who lost their lives to HIV and those who were forced to hide their sexuality.
“I always tell my community to be transparent, not just about my story, but about all of our stories,” said Damper. “I think that sometimes, as Black and brown folks, we’re not having those real tough conversations. We are losing gay Black men who are diagnosed with HIV because there aren’t systems in place to make sure that we receive the equity that we need to really get sustainable funding for Black and brown folks and organizations.”
While HIV has had a devastating impact on many lives, Damper believes it changed his life in a positive way, and he feels deeply honored to be recognized with the Ryan White Community Champion Award.
“I would love to thank the Seattle TGA HIV Planning Council, a council that I was formerly a part of, because I appreciate the acknowledgement,” said Damper. “What a great way to celebrate 12 years of this gift. HIV changed my life, and it didn’t change my life for the worst; it changed my life to really look at myself for all that I could be.”
