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Yours in the Struggle,
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Yours in the Struggle,
I went to the memorial for Urvashi Vaid. While I did not know her well, I was a fanboy for this powerful out South Asian Lesbian who opened doors. During these difficult times, the service was exactly what was needed. It helps to remember that our work stands on the shoulders of greats. The gathering was so New York and fabulous without trying. Watching Tony Kushner hold back tears as he tried to explain how Urvashi and Kate Clinton gave him a social life to the icon and GOAT Gloria Steinem who connected Urvashi’s work in the larger struggle for justice and equity. It was exactly what she deserved and our movement needed.
I am worried. I don’t know what’s happening to our country. I’m watching in disbelief and sadness. The world does not feel safe for people who are different. We are fighting for our right to exist, to love and be loved. This was not how it should be. Yet here we are, again. The war has started, and we are not ready. Last week the Supreme Court heard arguments to abolish affirmative based on race. Where is the outrage? In Texas there is a case that uses the Religious Freedom Act to allow employers to stop paying for HIV PrEP because it offends their religious beliefs. They are trying to dismantle the entire Affordable Care Act.
Everything seems upside down and backwards. Regardless of how the elections work out, the struggle is not going away. I am not going to stop being Gay because it offends you or your God. My skin is the color of my skin. These are things I would not change even if I could, and I can’t. How do we live in the same country when my very existence is an affront to your God?
It’s time to build institutions and movements that can work across purposes. We need a NATO for social justice. If they go after one of us, we all stand together in solidarity. Supportive donors need to give like never before. The funding needs to be unrestricted and multiyear. Support should prioritize real political power so we can fight back and not be helpless as they decimate our worlds. The radical right has spent the last 50 years working to overturn Roe and reshape America. We must catch up before it is all gone.
This is how I will remember Urvashi. In 1990 she interrupted a speech by then President George H.W. Bush. I was in the room. It was thrilling and scary. Part of an inside/outside strategy about the Ryan White CARE Act.
Like so many in HIV, I’ve attended too many memorials. We are a generation of walking wounded who saw too much and hurt too long. We buried lovers and friends in numbers that are still incomprehensible. I am tired and crushed to see our work going backwards. Make no mistake, this is a fight about our existence on the planet.
Yours in the Struggle,
The letter below was sent to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra from the following members of Congress: Maxine Waters, Bill Pascrell, Jr., Joaquin Castro, Barbara Lee, Raúl M. Grijalva, and Nanette Diaz Barragán. The Black AIDS Institute, Latino Commission on AIDS, NMAC, and the SF Community Health Center are working with key members to bring the Minority AIDS Initiative back to its original intent.
We write to urge you to return the Minority AIDS Initiative (MAI) to its originally intended purpose of directing strategic HIV resources to minority-led organizations in order to close the racial and ethnic gap in the HIV epidemic. Minority-led organizations have the cultural competence and proximity to the affected communities that make them ideal partners for helping to end the epidemic.
Earlier this year, we requested that the House Appropriations Committee include language in the report to accompany the FY 2023 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Bill, recommending that the Secretary of Health and Human Services direct MAI resources to minority-led organizations. In response to our request, the Committee included the following language under the subheading, “Minority HIV/AIDS Fund:” “The Committee […] encourages the Secretary to prioritize MHAF grants to HIV-based agencies that are minority led with preference given to organizations led by women, men, and transgender persons who identify as African American/Black, Latino, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Asian American, and/or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander.”
It has come to our attention that this language, and its inclusion under the aforementioned subheading, could be interpreted as applying solely to the $60,000,000 that the Committee provided specifically for the Minority HIV/AIDS Fund, which is managed by your office within HHS. We are writing, therefore, to clarify that it is our intent that this language be applied to all MAI funds controlled by all four of the HHS agencies involved in the administration of the MAI. These agencies include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Office of the Secretary.
Of course, we realize that the guidance included in the FY 2023 report will not have standing until Congress has enacted a final Omnibus Appropriations Bill for FY 2023. Nevertheless, we urge you to use your discretion to begin immediately to direct MAI resources to minority-led organizations that have the cultural competence and proximity that enables them to serve minority communities effectively, and to do so across all four of the aforementioned HHS agencies.
We are grateful for your attention to our concerns, and we respectfully request a response from you prior to November 15, 2022. Furthermore, once an Omnibus Appropriations Bill for FY 2023 has been enacted, we would appreciate confirmation from the directors of each of the relevant agencies of their intent to comply with the guidance in the FY 2023 report.
Sincerely,
Secretary Becerra and Assistant Secretary Rachel Levine, it’s your move. CDC, HRSA, SAMHSA, and the Secretary’s Office need guidance to quickly address this inequity. As we continue to see with HIV, COVID and now Monkeypox, people of color shoulder a disproportionate burden of disease. When the Congressional Black Caucus works with leaders from the Congressional Hispanic and other Caucuses provide this guidance, it’s time to do the right thing!
Yours in the Struggle,
Paul Kawata
Monday, October 10, 6:30 PM ET
USCHA
San Juan, PR
Livestreamed on Facebook
Five of the nation’s leading organizations focused on ending the HIV, STD, and hepatitis epidemics – AIDS United, NASTAD, the National Coalition of STD Directors, NMAC, and The AIDS Institute – will host a Town Hall on Monkeypox at the 2022 United States Conference on HIV/AIDS. This event will be livestreamed on Facebook.
This Town Hall will invite federal, state, and local leaders to come together with USCHA attendees to have an important but difficult conversation on roles and responsibilities with MPV. Unfortunately, this is another virus that disproportionately impacts gay and bisexual men, particularly Black and Latinx gay men.
Vaccinating all sexually active communities that are impacted by MPV will not be easy or cheap. Our agencies are very concerned that HIV or STD funding does not get reprogrammed for MPV. There is also so much misinformation. We are inviting federal leaders to update and clarify what is known and the next steps.
The Town Hall will be facilitated by:
All USCHA attendees and people on Facebook are invited to listen, ask questions, or make statements. Due to time constraints, comments will be limited to three minutes per person. A report will be produced from the proceeds to help inform next steps.
Yours in the Struggle,
Paul Kawata
My world is literally out of focus (cataracts), and I am mad and concerned. If the last two years were not enough, now we must fight Monkeypox (MPV). How much more must we endure? There is too much pain and loss. I am exhausted by the suffering, overwhelmed by the fighting, and worried about SCOTUS. Below is Aug. 18th data from Philadelphia:
Leaders are not supposed to say these things publicly. We are supposed to be the paragon of virtue and hard work. These unrealistic pictures are why so many fail or quit. I’m speaking my truth so you don’t have to feel alone. Life is hard and there is no clear end. The only thing we have is each other.
Last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention publicly admitted what we all knew: their response to COVID was less than ideal. This announcement was unprecedented and hopeful. They’ve made a commitment to be ready for the next pandemic. I hope they understand that Monkeypox is here. Their ability to stop MPV before it becomes endemic will demonstrate their real-world capacity. I want CDC to succeed but can’t turn a blind eye to the challenges.
This week Daniel Driffin and Damián Cabrera have two meetings with the White House to talk about Monkeypox. Surgery makes it impossible for me to attend. I’ve asked them to do four things:
At their meeting with Mr. Fenton and Dr. Daskalakis, they will be joined by people who got Monkeypox. There is too much fear and discrimination. These community leaders will ask the White House to fight the stigma associated with this virus. To understand that it is rooted in homophobia and racism. During these difficult political times it may be used as a weapon to discriminate against the LGBTQI community.
We’ve also invited David Garcia, the executive director of Affirmations in Michigan. Recently, he shared the frustration of getting MPV vaccines to his community. NMAC asked him to share his story. In some regions it is the “Hunger Games” to get shots.
I know the White House and CDC are committed to these values, but can they deliver? As we saw with COVID, CDC’s ability to communicate basic messages often got lost in their efforts to be scientifically accurate. They feel the responsibility to be the CDC, but that happens at the expense of clear messages that community can understand. The world has changed and their position as the ultimate authority is irrelevant in the age of TikTok. The old paradigm of doctors in white coats must give way to the reality that America is diverse and complex. We want to see our faces in the leadership and programs. Communications from old White cisgender men does not cut it in the new world.
To be clear, Dr. Walensky just got to the CDC and these challenges go back decades. COVID showed what the HIV community already knew: our movement needs a CDC who understands how to reach the communities highly impacted by HIV and now Monkeypox and who understands that leadership is collaborative, and their responsibility is to build a bigger table. The days of telling us what or how to do it are over. We wasted too much time on DEBBIs and EBBIs.
If I seem bitter, please know it’s not because of the CDC. My bitterness comes from a world that feels unrelenting and out of control. Just as I was getting ready to exhale, there is another virus that some people will use to make political points. I can feel the judgements oozing from their pores. Gay and bisexual men are getting what we deserve. They see and judge us as scum. With a bible in one hand, they believe we are going to hell. Don’t let your urban bubbles fool you. We are in a fight for the soul of America and we could lose.
Our fight against Monkeypox, like our fight against HIV, must address the racism and homophobia that these viruses engender. Whether we like it or not, these political hot buttons are inextricably intertwined with our efforts to end the HIV epidemic and our work to stop monkeypox from becoming endemic. I worry about the government’s ability to fight what might be inherent in its systems. For too long government systems were built on values that did not reflect community with systems that reward compliance at the cost of innovation. The search for scientifically proven solutions assumes a static community when the opposite is true. COVID/HIV/Monkeypox solutions need flexibility and innovation. That is not usually a strength of government. I wonder if change is even possible.
I know the leaders at CDC are good competent people who want to do the right thing. The challenge is they live and work in a system that was built decades ago by alpha White male doctors who were taught to be gods and not collaborators. To them weakness was a problem and not a virtue. They were going to save us from ourselves rather than take the time to understand and celebrate who we were. Thank you, CDC, for admitting there was a problem. The proof will be in your ability to change. Next up is Monkeypox. Can you put together systems that are more than just getting out vaccines? Monkeypox, like COVID, requires targeted outreach to communities that might not trust the government. As we’ve learned with HIV, it’s not enough to just provide the medication; we must build systems that reach people where they live. Systems that understand and celebrate the communities needed to be reached.
Yours in the Struggle,
Paul Kawata
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Yours in the Struggle,
Yours in the Struggle,
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Thank you to everyone who registered early for the 2022 United States Conference on AIDS. The meeting had the largest number of early bird registrations. Close to 3,000 folks are on the list to attend. As a result, NMAC made the difficult decision to keep registration open for only 500 more delegates. It is first come first served and we will close when we reach capacity.
The conference made this difficult decision because it is unfair to take people’s money when there are so few reasonably priced hotel rooms still available in San Juan. USCHA has sold out of the group rate at five hotels. Hotel rooms are still available in San Juan, just not at the lower negotiated USCHA group rates. Now the gathering must refer people to Airbnb or more expensive hotels. While USCHA gets no support, most of Airbnb’s rental fees go to locals who can use the money. We will only provide buses between official conference hotels and the Puerto Rico Conference Center. Please make sure your Airbnb is close to an official hotel so you can catch the free USCHA bus.
Hotel rooms have been set aside for scholarship recipients. They do not need to worry. Thanks to our major sponsors Gilead, ViiV Healthcare, Janssen, and Merck, USCHA is giving away a record number of scholarships. However, we still turned down many very qualified applicants. Moises Agosto, NMAC’s Treatment Director, put together an article about the scholarship process for Thursday’s e-newsletter.
There is very limited exhibit space. Around 90% of the exhibit hall has been reserved. It will be sold out soon. Exhibitors get passes to attend the conference. Click here to reserve a booth. Given the challenges of shipping to Puerto Rico, we encourage them to use San Juan based companies for printing, booths, receptions, and give aways. Not only does this bring much needed resources to the local community, but it also lets you bypass shipping headaches. Many partners host private receptions, so please consider working with the local community to identify locations and businesses that support the HIV community. USCHA is the first large conference in PR to happen since COVID and locals are excited for our meeting.
As an example of working with regional providers, USCHA contracted with Connecting Paths to sew all the conference bags. Connecting Paths is a local nonprofit that fosters community entrepreneurship in Puerto Rico. Since hurricane Maria (2018) they have trained 87 women and 20 of these women are sewing the conference bags. Please watch their Spanish language YouTube video to learn more. USCHA is an opportunity to bring much needed economic development to Puerto Rico. Please support the businesses that support the local HIV community.
While space is very limited, we want to encourage our federal partners to send key staff to meet with attendees. The community desperately needs your leadership and partnership to complete our mission to end the HIV epidemic by 2030. Show up to show your support for the leaders on the frontlines. There may be budgetary issues since the meeting happens in the new fiscal year and NMAC is willing to work to make any needed accommodations. Please contact Tara Barnes-Darby for assistance.
NMAC wants to thank the local host committee co-chairs:
I’ve put hyperlinks to their emails so that you can contact them about restaurants, bars, and companies that support the HIV community in San Juan and Puerto Rico. NMAC also has staff who live in San Juan. Damian can answer questions about local agencies, culture, and community. Please email Damian with any questions.
It’s only July and the meeting is almost sold out. Most people will think it’s because we are going to PR. I want to believe our movement is committed to language justice, reaching the Latinx community, and learning in an environment when English is the second language. Building a movement is key to our ability to end the epidemic. USCHA is the place where we come together to check-in, learn, and nurture our family. The world is going crazy, and we need each other more than ever.
Damian Cabrera-Candelaria
Program Manger Treatment
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Yours in the Struggle,
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Yours in the Struggle,