World AIDS Day 2025: Honoring Leadership and Legacy

More than one hundred community members, advocates, and leaders gathered at the Church of the Crossroads on December 1 to commemorate World AIDS Day and to honor a powerful force within Hawaiʻi’s HIV movement. This year, Kunane Dreier, H3RC’s deputy director of programs, received the 2025 Suzanne Richmond-Crum Award for his more than twenty years of service advancing HIV prevention, care, and equity across Hawaiʻi.

The award recognizes individuals whose work reflects exceptional compassion, competence, and commitment to people living with HIV. Kunane’s leadership has shaped policy, strengthened programs statewide, and ensured that communities most impacted by HIV continue to be seen, supported, and cared for with dignity.

The theme of this year’s event, “Imua: Together We End AIDS,” reflected the spirit of the evening. Public health leaders, people with lived experience, LGBTQIA+ community members, and long-time partners came together to raise awareness, confront stigma, and recognize the progress that has been made through decades of advocacy and community care.

Speakers throughout the program emphasized the urgent need to expand access to treatment, continue fighting discrimination, and uplift those who remain disproportionately impacted. Today, an estimated 3,000 people in Hawaiʻi are living with HIV, and many still face barriers to care, housing, and acceptance. World AIDS Day serves as a reminder that the work continues and that our community remains committed to moving forward together.

H3RC extends heartfelt congratulations to Kunane for this well-deserved recognition and gratitude to all who joined us in solidarity. Your presence helps keep the movement strong and honors the generations of people who built the foundation we stand on today.