Chicago-based HIV advocate Keith Green was honored March 21 with the Bayard Rustin Advocacy Award at the annual Truth Awards, recognizing his decades of work advancing care and visibility for Black LGBTQ+ communities.
Presented by ViiV Healthcare, the award places Green among a national group of honorees celebrated for their impact of Black LGBTQ+ life, culture and health. This year’s ceremony also recognized journalist Don Lemon and Grammy-winning songwriter Durand Bernarr.
Green, executive director of the Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus, said receiving an award named after civil rights strategist Bayard Rustin carried deep meaning.
“It means so much because Bayard was really—until recently—an unspoken hero of the civil rights movement,” Green said. “To receive an award named after him … it’s an honor, and it’s also a push to be more intentional, to be more focused and as loud as possible to ensure that the people that I am committed to serving get what they need and deserve.”
The Truth Awards, held annually in Los Angeles, celebrate leaders who have made significant contributions to Black LGBTQ+ communities across sectors including health, advocacy, arts and media. Randevyn Piérre, head of U.S. External Affairs at ViiV Healthcare, described the event as “a moment to really pause and recognize the contributions of folks who have supported the Black LGBTQ+ community.”Keith Green accepts the Bayard Rustin Advocacy Award at the 2026 Truth Awards. Photo provided by ViiV
Piérre said Green’s selection reflects both his longevity and his impact in Chicago.
“He has really worked hard over the years as a person with lived experience to make sure that he is in lockstep with supporting people living with HIV,” Piérre said. “He’s been doing it for quite a while in a very visible and meaningful way.”
Green’s work is rooted in both personal experience and community trust. As a founding member of the Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus—launched in 2005 in response to alarming HIV disparities among Black men—he has helped build programs that connect people to care, resources and each other.
Today, the organization focuses on community-building, workforce development and culturally relevant engagement strategies that address not just HIV, but the broader conditions shaping health outcomes.
Those conditions remain stark. While Black residents make up roughly 28% of Chicago’s population, they account for about half of new HIV diagnoses each year, underscoring persistent disparities in access to care and prevention.
Green pointed to stigma, gaps in affirming healthcare and broader systemic inequities as key drivers.
“There is still a great deal of stigma—even within healthcare,” he said. “There’s the lack of access to quality, affirming, stigma-free healthcare … and then broader issues like housing, employment and all of those factors that play a role.”
Partnerships with organizations like ViiV Healthcare have helped expand the reach of that work, particularly through community-driven initiatives that center lived experience, Green said.
“Our job is to provide the support where it’s most needed,” Piérre said. “That means partnering with folks who are part of those communities … and allowing them to tell us what they need to get closer to the end of the epidemic.”
For Green, the recognition is not just personal—it reflects a broader network of organizers, advocates and community members working behind the scenes.
“There’s no I in team,” he said. “I could not be in a position to receive these kinds of honors without the incredible people that I get to work alongside.”
As he looks ahead, Green said the work continues, especially at a time when both HIV disparities and broader political challenges persist.
“Community gives me hope,” he said. “There is a spirit within our community that will not die easily.”