When you first walked into DreamGirls Hair Salon in Culver City, you weren’t just entering a beauty shop — you were stepping into an interactive exhibit. The first thing that caught my attention were the throwback sitcoms playing on the screens — episodes from “A Different World,” “Girlfriends” and “The Parkers” that once tackled the topic of HIV. It immediately stood out to me because television today rarely approaches the subject with the same openness and honesty those shows did more than a decade ago.
Guests were invited to watch video performances from what organizers described as “the intimacy of a shampoo bowl,” trace data visualizations creatively built from Cécred haircare products and explore mirrors and objects transformed into portals of memory and resistance.
Among those Cécred visualizations were sobering statistics about the ongoing impact of HIV on women. One display used the famous Cécred oil and edge drops to represent deaths from HIV — with the oil on the left symbolizing non-Black women, who make up 43% of deaths, and the silver edge drops on the right symbolizing Black women, who make up 57%, according to the exhibit.
Another installation used Cécred lotion to illustrate diagnosis rates: for every one white woman diagnosed with HIV, eleven Black women are diagnosed — a powerful visual reminder of the disparities at the heart of “Still Here.”
The result was part gallery, part archive, part sacred salon — a living space where art carried the voices of Black women living with and impacted by HIV and AIDS.
For co-founder Tina Knowles, who once owned a hair salon herself, the choice of setting felt especially powerful. “The salon is the center of everything that goes on in the world — from politics to philanthropy,” Knowles said. “It’s a place of unity.”
The WACO Theater Center — which stands for “Where Art Can Occur”, co-founded by Tina Knowles and Richard Lawson in 2017, debuted its latest production, “Still Here” — a powerful blend of live performance and exhibit dedicated to the impact of HIV and AIDS on the Black community, particularly Black women. The event transformed the space into both an artistic and educational experience, reminding audiences of the importance of knowing their status while celebrating the resilience of those living and thriving despite stigma. The three-day installation and production took place in Los Angeles from September 25 through September 28.
The WACO Theater Center was built on the belief that art has the power to heal, educate, and unite. The Los Angeles–based nonprofit serves as a creative hub for artists, youth, and community members, offering programs that celebrate Black culture and social awareness through performance, mentorship and storytelling.
Executive Producer Shay Wafer called “Still Here” WACO’s “major program” of the year — the result of more than a year and a half of research and development. She said the project will expand beyond the stage with a magazine featuring essays from 30 Black women on HIV, AIDS, and related themes.
For Wafer, the title carries layered meaning. “It’s almost like a double entendre that we’re still here—we’re still strong, we’re still surviving, we’re still thriving. And also that the presence and the impact of HIV and AIDS on our community is still here.”
She hopes the takeaway is clear: “If I had to distill it down to one thing, I would like people to walk away with… it’s to know their status.”
For young artists, “Still Here” was both an educational and artistic journey.
Performer and dancer Milan Reneau said the experience was “amazing.”
“Not only is it entertaining, but it’s informal so you can know what’s really going on with women, men, just the community in general. I feel like it’s very, very beautiful,” Reneau said.
Amber Nicole, who co-designed wigs for the show honoring five women activists in the HIV community, felt inspired after the event. “I think this entire production did a really good job about bringing light and life to the situation,” she said. “I personally feel inspired. I would be more open to talking about HIV more and just asking more questions in general.”
For audience members like Karl Duckett, the show was an eye-opening reminder of both stigma and resilience. “It was very, very educational,” he said. “We all go through our own struggles, but it’s very hard to have a stigma on top of the disease, on top of being Black, on top of how our community operates on us sometimes.”
He praised the production’s honesty and its ability to spark reflection: “I would describe this as coming into a situation with an open heart and understanding that you need to be educated and leave your opinions at the door.”
Actress and creative Nia Miranda echoed the importance of opening conversations. “Projects like “Still Here” are so important to the Black community specifically because in our community—we don’t talk about everything. A lot of things are taboo,” Miranda said. “In order for us to thrive the way we ultimately wanna thrive, we have to be educated and we have to be comfortable to be vulnerable, to have these discussions.”
For her, “Still Here” symbolizes resilience: “No matter what has happened, no matter what I’ve overcome, I’m still standing… Still here is resilience. It’s power. It’s strength. It has deep rooted roots.”
Through storytelling, dance, design, and dialogue, “Still Here” created a space where art met activism. For Knowles, that is WACO’s greatest strength: “It’s creating a space where art can grow, where it can thrive, and just giving back to the community. Strength is in unity. So I think of it as a place of unity.”
When reflecting on the theme “Still Here,” Knowles emphasized survival and strength.“It means a lot, especially in today’s climate. We are still here standing. All the things that I’ve been through in my life—I’ve been through a lot—but I’m still here standing.”