Join Us for Upcoming Health Not Prisons World AIDS Day Activities
Today marks another World AIDS Day, a day in which the HIV/AIDS epidemic re-emerges in the public consciousness, if only for a brief moment. World AIDS Day presents a unique opportunity for the global community to mourn those we’ve lost to AIDS-related complications, honor the experiences of long-term survivors, bring much needed awareness to the ways in which people living with HIV (PLHIV) are still being policed, surveilled and stigmatized, and collectively envision a world where all people living with HIV are safe, free, and thriving. On this World AIDS Day, the Health Not Prisons Collective remains as committed as ever to the elimination of policing, prosecution and imprisonment in public health crises and sustaining a robust, intersectional, BIPOC-led HIV decriminalization response. We continue to uplift and fight for the health, human rights and dignity of people living with HIV today and every day.
We ask that you join the partner organizations of the Health Not Prisons Collective as we recognize World AIDS Day and learn more about the Collective’s mission here. Register for these events to learn more!
Positive Women’s Network- USA
The PWN-NYC chapter will be honoring World AIDS Day by hosting several events this year. If you are in the NYC area, join the PWN-NYC chapter in-person for a HIV decriminalization rally in support of U.S. PLHIV Caucus member, Robert Suttle and to call on D. A. Alvin Bragg and his Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to stop criminalizing people with HIV. The rally will take place on December 1st, from 4-6pm and will begin at NYC AIDS Memorial Park (76 Greenwich Avenue New York. NY 1011).
If you are unable to join the PWN-NYC in-person, they will be hosting a Facebook Live on December 2nd at 2pm EST/ 1pm CST to discuss the resilience of the members of the NYC chapter and people living with HIV. Hop on over to the PWN Facebook page to tune in!
For all of our Alabama folks, our PWN-Alabama chapter will be hosting co-sponsoring an event with AIDS Alabama and the Positive Leadership Council in honor of World AIDS Day. The event will be held on December 2nd at The Langley Center (2100 Avenue H, Birmingham, AL 35218) from 5:00pm-7:00pm CST.
PWN members aren’t the only ones who will be busy this World Aids Day. Join staff members for several discussions throughout the day!
PWN Training Director, Barb Cardell, will be speaking at a meeting of the 5280 Fast-Track Cities Steering Committee. The Committee represents a coalition of HIV advocates and providers. Earlier this year, the coalition developed a community mobilization strategy to partner with individuals living with HIV to design an anti-stigma campaign, which the Committee will launch during this event. The event will be Thursday, December, 1st from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM MST/ 7:00 PM-9:00 PM CST/ 8:00 PM- 10:00 PM EST. You can register for this event here.
PWN Policy Director, Kelly Flannery and Sero Project, Program Director, Kamaria Laffrey, spoke at a Congressional Briefing on the Criminalization of People Living with HIV in cooperation with the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus and the Congressional LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus in recognition of World AIDS Day.
PWN Co-Executive Director, Venita Ray will be speaking on an American Bar Association (ABA)-sponsored panel on December 1st, from 1-2:30 EST/ 2-3:30 CST. This webinar will offer a retrospective on the legal, social, and medical struggles and successes associated with HIV/AIDS over the last four decades. You can register to attend the webinar here.
If you are in the greater Houston area, you can catch Venita later in the day at Legacy Community Health’s World AIDS Day Celebration. During the event, attendees will pay tribute to those we have lost, acknowledge the hard work and innovation of many, and celebrate the strides taken to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic. This event will be at South Beach (810 Pacific St., Houston, TX 77006) on Thursday, December 1, 2022, from 6PM to 8PM CST. Registration is required!
U.S. PLHIV Caucus
The U.S. PLHIV Caucus continues to lead on the federal HIV decriminalization response! The Caucus will be releasing their response to the NHAS Federal Implementation Plan (FIP) that came out in late August 2022. To learn more about the strengths and weaknesses of the Implementation Plan, check out the Caucus’ report, FILLING IN THE GAPS A PLHIV NETWORKS RESPONSE TO THE NHAS FEDERAL IMPLEMENTATION PLAN here. If you’d like to show your support for the Caucus’ response, stay tuned for suggested social media posts and make your voice heard!
Sero Project
Along with speaking on the Congressional Briefing on the Criminalization of People Living with HIV, Sero Project Program Director, Kamaria Laffrey, will also be speaking on a panel for the Beta Gamma Chi Fraternity’s World AIDS Day Event, “CODE RED: Decriminalization, Discrimination and Disclosure.” Panelists will discuss HIV criminalization and disclosure and will take place on December 1st, at 7:00pm EST/ 6:00pm CST. You can register for this panel discussion here.This is a bright spot of light in an otherwise dark time. Laws that criminalize and target people living with and vulnerable to HIV have no place in a public health response.
Published: December 13th, 2022
