J. Donté Prayer
Speak up for better health awardsThe Speak Up for Better Health Awards celebrate the everyday people who make our health system more equitable and responsive. J. Donté Prayer is a Speak Up honoree.
Health Equity is Always in Fashion
J. Donté Prayer is reimagining community health work by merging his mission in sexual health and HIV education with his love of fashion.
Donté created R.O.L.E. Models, a peer influencer-model approach that uses a combination of traditional public education events, social networking campaigns and dynamic fashion events to excite, engage and educate.
The empowering motto of R.O.L.E. Models (which stands for Reach, Organize, Learn, and Empower) speaks for itself: Fashion trends come and go, but being in control of your health should never go out of style!
“I want this to be a model for other organizations when dealing with Black communities,” Donté said. “Advocating for health care doesn’t need to be this sterile thing, you can have fun doing engagement or policy work.”
A Tailored Approach to Advocacy
Black and Latinx men who have sex with men account for the highest number of new HIV cases in the United States but still represent an underserved population that is often not meaningfully addressed. Donté’s tailored approach is not only essential for his community, but it’s also good policy.
Donté works in his home state of North Carolina with the North Carolina AIDS Action Network as well as the Center for Black Health & Equity. Policy work is a priority, and he speaks candidly and realistically about the challenges of pursuing change in this way in the South.
“We definitely have to train up more advocates, especially advocates of color, because sometimes I’m the only Black male in a space,” he said. “I want to make sure there’s other advocates at the table who share my intersectionality.”
Donté believes celebrity social influencers can play a big role in health and HIV advocacy. “If Beyoncé or Michelle Obama go on social media and say, ‘Everybody should wear condoms,’ people will listen,” he said. “We always have to find innovative ways to break down stigma and engage people.”
Systemic barriers to health equity remain a challenge, but Donté feels proud to be walking in the footsteps of resilient and committed advocates who came before him.
He’s also thinking big: he envisions creating a series of fashion-health fairs on a global scale, partnering with major fashion houses to bring health messaging into their public campaigns. “One of my big dreams is to work with a fashion house like Versace or Saint Laurent,” he said.
Follow Donté on Instagram or Twitter.
The Speak Up for Better Health Awards celebrate the everyday people who make our health system more equitable and responsive. The annual awards are hosted by The Center for Community Engagement in Health Innovation at Community Catalyst. J. Donté Prayer is a Speak Up honoree.