Featured

Lobbyists Push for Better HIV/AIDS Care

Published

11 years ago

March 18, 2014

According to the latest data released by the Center for Disease Control only 25 percent of people living with HIV in the U.S. have achieved viral suppression. In other words, three out of four people living with HIV nationwide still face significant health disparity gaps that continue to widen, and are related to both race and age.

African Americans are the least likely to be in ongoing care and to have the virus under control. Younger African Americans especially are least likely to have their virus in check. HIV care and viral suppression has been shown to improve with age, except among African Americans, aged 65 and older.

Eliminating gaps in care has become even more important as we have learned more about the impact of treatment on preventing the spread of HIV. We cannot adequately address gaps in care until Ryan White funding is following the epidemic.

The misguided decision to refuse the Medicaid expansion in many GOP led states, could disproportionately harm vulnerable populations. As HIV/AIDS continues to affect African Americans more than any other ethnic group in the U.S., advocates from southern states and rural America are concerned about poor life outcomes for people living with HIV in their cities.

For those left without coverage, the AIDS Assistance Program (ADAP) and The Ryan White Program, two federally funded programs many consider to be lifesavers, will continue to provide services.

Last week, I joined HIV advocates from areas that will have to rely on Ryan White Programs and we lobbied in Washington, successfully getting Congress to introduce a bill, “The Ryan White Patient Equity and Choice Act” that will require The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), to study their formula and address the problem, of a disease that is geographically changing. The epidemic is really affecting African Americans worse in southern states as well as states where access to care, racism and stigma remain the biggest barriers.

Geneva Galloway an advocate from Charlotte, NC., has lived with HIV for 28 years and works with the Faith community there. Galloway says her fight there is stigma. “The stigma in the south, she says, “is worse than the disease itself”

The Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resource Emergency Act was originally passed by

Ryan White became a National poster Child for HIV/AIDS in the U.S. in the early 80s after contracting the HIV/AIDS infection through blood transfusions. He died one month before his high school graduation.

Congress in 1990. In the two decades since then, four reauthorizations of the Act have reflected the evolution of HIV/AIDS. In 1996 the Act ensured access to highly active antiretroviral therapy through a drug assistant program (ADAP).

Ed Jones from Texas, is hoping the bill passes, and felt it was time to make changes to Ryan White.

“The status quo harms Texas and many other states,” said Jones. “We cannot adequately address gaps in care because Ryan White funding is not following the epidemic.”

In 2000, reauthorization provided funds to ensure access to care. In 2006, the reauthorization sought to mitigate the high impact of the disease on African Americans and other minority communities. New incentives for HIV care retention were created in 2009. The new Act will evenly distribute the funds to all states based on the epidemic and not population.

Art Jackson, an HIV advocate from Fayetteville, North Carolina who celebrates 25 years of living after his diagnosis, says the bill will help more like him get the HIV care they need.

“This bill can help ensure that thousands in my area where the epidemic is growing can get the adequate HIV care,” said Jackson.

Eliminating gaps in care has become even more important as we have learned more about the impact of treatment on preventing the spread of HIV.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Grammy-winning Jazz Artists Featured at 2014 Brubeck Festival

Don't Miss

OP-ED: Journalism in the Best Interest of the Child

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

1 day ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

Published

4 days ago

May 30, 2025

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

Black Feminist Movement Mobilizes in Response to National Threats

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States.

Published

4 days ago

May 30, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States. The event, led by the organization Black Feminist Future, is headlined by activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis. Paris Hatcher, executive director of Black Feminist Future, joined Black Press USA’s Let It Be Known to outline the mission and urgency behind the gathering, titled “Get Free.” “This is not just a conference to dress up and have a good time,” Hatcher said. “We’re building power to address the conditions that are putting our lives at risk—whether that’s policing, reproductive injustice, or economic inequality.” Hatcher pointed to issues such as rising evictions among Black families, the rollback of bodily autonomy laws, and the high cost of living as key drivers of the event’s agenda. “Our communities are facing premature death,” she said.

Workshops and plenaries will focus on direct action, policy advocacy, and practical organizing skills. Attendees will participate in training sessions that include how to resist evictions, organize around immigration enforcement, and disrupt systemic policies contributing to poverty and incarceration. “This is about fighting back,” Hatcher said. “We’re not conceding anything.” Hatcher addressed the persistent misconceptions about Black feminism, including the idea that it is a movement against men or families. “Black feminism is not a rejection of men,” she said. “It’s a rejection of patriarchy. Black men must be part of this struggle because patriarchy harms them too.” She also responded to claims that organizing around Black women’s issues weakens broader coalitions. “We don’t live single-issue lives,” Hatcher said. “Our blueprint is one that lifts all Black people.”

The conference will not be streamed virtually, but recaps and updates will be posted daily on Black Feminist Future’s YouTube channel and Instagram account. The event includes performances by Tank and the Bangas and honors longtime activists including Billy Avery, Erica Huggins, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. When asked how Black feminism helps families, Hatcher said the real threat to family stability is systemic oppression. “If we want to talk about strong Black families, we have to talk about mass incarceration, the income gap, and the systems that tear our families apart,” Hatcher said. “Black feminism gives us the tools to build and sustain healthy families—not just survive but thrive.”