AIDS spokeswoman Cookie Johnson, wife of Magic Johnson, donated the key to the town of Lexington

During the event, Mayor Linda Gorton presented Cookie with a key to the town of Lexington.

LEXINGTON, Ky (WTVQ) – A well-known spokeswoman for HIV and women’s health visited Lexington on Saturday afternoon to share her story around the disease.

Cookie Johnson is the wife of former professional basketball player Magic Johnson. She had just married the NBA star when he found out he had AIDS.

Three Lexington organizations: Bluegrass Black Pride, The Lexington/Fayette County Health Department, and AVOL Kentucky wanted to find a way to reach out to the African American community to talk about the importance of HIV testing. So they invited Johnson for a special talk at the Lyric Theater.

During the event, Mayor Linda Gorton presented Cookie with a key to the town of Lexington.

“HIV is not a fatal disease,” said Kathy Schiflett of Bluegrass Black Pride. “That you can test it and prevent it. You shouldn’t feel like there’s a stigma around it, that it’s just a disease. And we have medicine and medical professionals, and professionals to manage the disease. »>
The groups organizing the event are also organizing several other events this weekend.
On Sundays, there is an “AIDS Walk” at 1:30 p.m. at the Carnegie Center.