Putting a Face on Hepatitis B: The #justB Storytelling Project
Amy Hill
To date, more than two billion people worldwide have been infected with hepatitis B. The Hepatitis B Foundation, which works to improve the lives of people living with hepatitis B recognizes that directly engaging community members in speaking out about obstacles to testing, prevention, and care is essential to reducing the stigma associated with the virus, encouraging screening, and improving services.
In 2016, the Foundation initiated #justB: Real People Sharing Stories of Hepatitis B, which has established a national storybank featuring real people living with and affected by hepatitis B who are willing to put a human face on this serious disease. In partnership with StoryCenter, the Foundation is coordinating digital storytelling workshops that bring together culturally and linguistically diverse communities of people to share their stories as short digital videos. To date, we’ve led six workshops and produced nearly 50 amazing stories. We also worked with the Foundation to develop a comprehensive #justB Story Discussion Guide, which enables storytellers and other Hepatitis B Foundation partners to present the digital stories in local community settings, as part of provider trainings, and at policy briefings and other advocacy events.
The Foundation is working with the storytellers and allied organizations across the country to distribute #justB stories in community and advocacy settings, online, and via social media. Every summer since 2017, the Foundation and its partners with Hep B United has supported #justB storytellers in participating at an annual Summit and Advocacy Day, in Washington DC, where their digital stories are screened. Select stories are also being shared on Shot by Shot: Stories of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases. View the entire collection of #justB stories now.
On our StoryCenter blog … read reflections by #justB storytellers and watch their stories; and find out about the amazing musician who contributed soundtracks to this effort.
In her touching story, Carolyn touches on the stigma that often keeps people infected with hepatitis B from disclosing their status.