The Drive to Destigmatize

On April 14th of 2024 we started our drive to destigmatize substance use in Richmond.

One of the main observations we had with Curtis’ substance use was how he felt about himself, his concern about how others saw him. This cycle of feeling down about yourself being perpetuated by societies perception of drug use, the feeling of failure for not meeting up with conventional ideals of success.

He would hide from us, the same way many hide their substance use from friends, family, employers and those around them. He would refuse to seek any form of medical treatment or to visit a doctor because of the way he would be treated or talked down to.

He loved kids and animals, Because kids and animals don’t judge the way the rest of us do.

The social stigma and cruel assumptions of substance use most definitely played a role in Curtis’ death. So now we use his car, to rally a community and we roll out to be seen by those that need to know that we see them, we aren’t judging and that we support them.