Deon Haywood

Deon Haywood

Deon Haywood, is the Executive Director of Women With a Vision (WWAV) a non-profit in New Orleans. WWAV was co-founded by Haywood’s mother and several other black women in 1991 as a social service organization out of these women’s concern about the lack of HIV prevention programs for women with substance abuse, sex workers, transgender women and women in poverty, who are at the most risk for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted conditions. The mission of WWAV is “to improve the lives of marginalized women, their families, and communities by addressing the social conditions that hinder their health and well-being.”  

Recognizing that the face of HIV/AIDS has changed in the New Orleans area, with heterosexual Black women becoming the fastest growing population of newly diagnosed cases in the city and state, the founders of WWAV have provided HIV/AIDS education and substance abuse resources to individuals practicing high risk behaviors such as injection drug use and unsafe sex. Deon Haywood continues this remarkable advocacy effort not only at the grass roots level but also working at the legislative level to change laws that discriminate against poor women of color.  She has been honored recently by national and international human rights organizations such as MADRE which advocates internationally for  women’s sexual rights. These organizations  have highlighted her exemplary leadership as an African American woman.  Deon has been honored with the 2011 Political Activism Award by the Forum For Equality