NMAC Connection: The Latest News From NMAC

Learn About the USCA Scholarship Process in April 11 Webinar

Interested in a scholarship to attend the US Conference on AIDS this year? Join us for a webinar on April 11 to explain the process, including application deadlines, scholar responsibilities, and important dates. Whether you’re interested in an Option A or B scholarship, an HIV 50+ Strong & Health scholarship, or a Social Media Fellowship, this webinar is for you.
Register now!

Welcome Marissa Miller to the NMAC Family
NMAC is thrilled to welcome Marissa Miller to our family. As a
Program Coordinator, Marissa works in our Leadership Pipeline program, helping to train new leaders in the fight against HIV.  A native of Indiana, Marissa has been an active voice for the transgender community for years in Indiana and Chicago, where she worked at Howard Brown Health.
Marissa shared some of her thoughts about her work here at NMAC.

Join Us for a Webinar on Multimorbidity and HIV+ Older Adults
Join us for “Why Are Older Adults with HIV at Increased Risk for Multimorbidity?,” a webinar from our Treatment division, on Friday, April 6, at 3:00 PM with national expert on HIV and aging, Dr. Stephen Karpiak. As people living with HIV live longer, healthcare providers are spending less time managing HIV-related issues and more time managing age-associated illnesses. This webinar will explore this topic.
Register now!

We’re Hiring!
NMAC is hiring! If you’d like to come work with us, please check out our latest job opportunities.

NMAC Connection: Invitation to CAPS

Would you consider applying to be part of NMAC’s Community Advisory Panels? This is a way too long recruitment letter to talk about our grand experiment. Applications are due March 23.. This newsletter explains NMAC’s vision and strategy to end the HIV epidemic.

NMAC leads with race to end the HIV epidemic in America.

We do it by urgently fighting for health equity and racial justice via our continued commitment to build leaders of color, our focused role within the HIV community on race, and its impact on HIV care and prevention, and by our survival when so many other agencies have closed their doors. In 1987 we started with a commitment to building leaders of color with the skills, connections, and savvy to fight. Today, NMAC continues to build leaders and ask them to focus on race and its impacts on HIV care, treatment, and prevention. NMAC does not do anti-racism work. There are many organizations with more experience and qualifications. To be effective, anti-racism work has to focus on white people. NMAC builds the skills and tells the stories of people of color.

          

In 2014-15, NMAC’s updated strategic plan changed our name, mission, and vision. During this time, America also saw the rise of the Occupy Wall Street, Black Lives Matter, and MeToo movements. Like these causes, NMAC fights for a world that is fair and equitable; however, our fight is focused/limited to ending the HIV epidemic in America. We are not here to end racism. We are here to examine how race impacts HIV care, treatment, and prevention. The majority of Americans living with HIV are people of color, yet 74 percent of the people on PrEP are white. This inequity is why NMAC fights for comprehensive biomedical HIV prevention for all communities highly impacted by HIV.

There are many ways to lead with race. NMAC believes that building the skills of leaders of color, standing up within the HIV movement, and surviving the difficult years is how NMAC leads with race. Will you join our grand experiment?  Online applications are due March 23 to be on NMAC’s new Community Advisory Panels (CAP).

This is a real program that needs real commitments. Your input will influence the workshops, plenaries, and scholarship decisions for both USCA and the Summit.

I’m going to stop before I lose you. An extended version of the letter can be found here.  Thank you for your consideration.

Yours in the struggle,

Paul Kawata
(202)  277-2777
Executive Director

Continuing to Celebrate Women’s History Month

National Women & Girls HIV Awareness Day is March 10

By Sable Nelson, NMAC Policy Analyst. I am my sister’s keeper. This upcoming Saturday, March 10, marks the 13th year for National Women and Girls HIV Awareness Day (NWGHAAD), when “national and community organizations come together to show support for women and girls impacted by HIV and AIDS.” The lives and stories of women reflected in recent statistics underscores the continued need for the observance of NWGHAAD.

> Read more about NWGHAAD

 

“Women and HIV in the South” Webinar March 21

 NMAC’s Community Spotlight Series continues March 21 at 3:00 PM EST with a webinar on Women and HIV in the South, featuring Gina Brown, Community Organizer for the Southern AIDS Coalition.

 > Register now!

 

 

Time’s Running Out to Join NMAC’s Constituent Advisory Panels

There are only 15 days left to apply to join NMAC’s Constituent Advisory Panels (CAPs). CAPs will advise NMAC on workshops, institutes, plenaries, and scholarship decisions for the 2018 USCA and Summit.

> For more information and to apply for CAP membership, visit our website.

 

NMAC’s Youth Initiative Launches for 2018

NMAC has opened the eighth cycle of the Youth Initiative program to train future leaders in the fight against the HIV epidemic. The seven-month program is open to applicants ages 18-25. Youth living with HIV or on PrEP, LGBTQ, youth of color, and young cis & trans women are particularly encouraged to apply. For more information or to apply, visit the NMAC website. Applications are due by April 10.

>  Learn more about how you can apply

 

ON SSDI But Want to Work? Join Our March 9 Webinar!

On Social Security Disability? Want to work but worried about losing your healthcare or benefits? Join us for our webinar “A Message of Hope for Social Security Disability Beneficiaries” on Friday, March 9, 3:00 PM EST and learn from the National Disability Institute about incentives and supports that can get you back in action.

Celebrating Women’s History Month

March is Women’s History Month!
NMAC is focusing on all Women and HIV during Women’s History Month in March. The story of women in the HIV epidemic is often overlooked. We want to make sure that all women’s stories are told.
This month, we’ll feature women’s voices telling their stories of living with HIV, advocating for their communities, and living their best lives.

 

NMAC’s Leadership Institute Returns! 
NMAC is bringing back its Executive Director Leadership Institute on Wednesday, September5, the day prior to the start of USCA. This year’s meeting will focus on How to Survive During Difficult Political Times. The Institute is for Executive Directors and HIV and STD Health Department Directors. 

You MUST be registered for USCA to register for the Leadership Institute.
For more information and to register for the Institute, visit the USCA website.

 

Join 1st USCA Webinar: “How to Submit an Abstract” March 7th!
The deadline to submit an abstract for the US Conference on AIDS is April 6. That can be a confusing process, but NMAC is here to help!
Join us on Wednesday, March 7, for our first USCA 2018 webinar “How to Submit an Abstract. This free webinar will walk you through the entire submission process and give you a chance to ask any questions you may have.

 

Women’s History Month Community Spotlight Webinar March 21st
NMAC’s Community Spotlight Series continues March 21 at 3:00 PM EST with a webinar on Women and HIV, featuring Gina Brown, Community Organizer for the Southern AIDS Coalition. More details to come!

Register now!

New Year: New Newsletter

New Year, New Newsletter

You’ve probably noticed that this newsletter is very different from what we’ve done in the past. We felt it was time to give our newsletter a complete overhaul to give you more and better information about what’s going on here. Read more about our new newsletter.

 

NMAC Spotlight: Leadership Pipeline

The fight against HIV has been ongoing for nearly four decades and still has a long way to go. We will need new generations of advocates and activists to succeed long-time leaders. Through our Youth Initiative and our Building Leaders of Color (BLOC) programs, we are helping to create the HIV community’s leaders of tomorrow. Find out more about the Leadership Pipeline.

 

What’s in the Leadership Pipeline for 2018

You’d expect that the Pipeline has a busy 2018. And you’d be right! We have a full calendar of trainings and new initiatives to continue our mission of building the HIV leaders of the future. Check out what we have coming up!

 

Who is the Leadership Pipeline?

The Leadership Pipeline is led by Linda H. Scruggs and NMAC’s Retention and Recruitment Specialist, Charles Shazor Jr. Together, they work with people of color living with HIV to build a community of transformative community of leaders in the HIV movement. Their contact information is listed below:

                 
Linda H. Scruggs             Charles Shazor, Jr
Acting Director, LP            Recruitment and Retention Specialist                                                               (202) 603-3517                  (202) 302 -7515

 

Join Us for a Special Webinar!

NMAC’s Treatment program’s Advocacy and Education Webinar Series presents “Chemsex, HIV, and Aging: A Dialogue on Effects and Interventions” this Friday, January 5, 2018 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM EST.

This workshop will be a conversation between clinician and author David Fawcett (Lust, Men, and Meth), who will address the physical and clinical issues created by Chemsex; and recovering addict and HIV blogger Mark S. King (My Fabulous Disease), who will share the attraction and effects of Chemsex and his own recovery process. This conversational format will explore the risks, effects, and evidence-based interventions for Chemsex in an aging population of PLWHA.

You can register here https://attendee.gototraining.com/r/5565039952901605378. After registering you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the training.

 

Keep the NMAC Connection in 2018

2018 will be a big year at NMAC. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but it’s essential work to the health and well-being of the communities we serve. We hope you’ll join us for the exciting opportunities ahead.

NMAC Connection: Centering Black Voices

Join Us for a Black History Month Webinar Feb. 21

Join us for a webinar for Black History Month on Feb. 21 at 3:00 PM EST. We are thrilled to welcome Leisha McKinley-Beach to talk about advocacy and awareness of HIV from Black leadership from the very beginning of the epidemic. NMAC is also honored to partner with the National Black AIDS Institute to present this webinar.

This webinar is the first in NMAC’s Community Spotlight webinar series this year to celebrate and spotlight communities that are often invisible or overlooked due to issues of race, gender, or gender identity – and to make sure they and their challenges with HIV are seen and heard.

Register NOW!

 

Join NMAC for Trainings in Jackson, MS and Ft Lauderdale , FL Next Week!

Are you in Jackson, MS, or Ft. Lauderdale, FL, the week of Feb. 5? Then join NMAC for a training session with our Strong Communities program! This training promotes an intentional discussion among community-based organizations and clinics about the social drivers of HIV, how they intersect with race, and how race affects HIV service delivery. Register NOW!

 

February 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

February 7 marks the 18th year for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD), a national HIV testing and

treatment community mobilization initiative targeted at Blacks in the United States and the African Diaspora. Founded in 1999 as a national response to the growing HIV and AIDS epidemic in Black communities, NBHAAD presents the opportunity for those who have held communities together, spoken truth to power, demanded higher quality services, advocated for better access to treatment/prevention to help us achieve the end of the epidemic in our lifetime. Read more about NBHAAD and HIV in the African-American community. 

 

Executive Update: Why NMAC Must Lead With Race

By Paul Kawata, Executive Director
We create coded language to explain why people of color must work smarter, stronger, and be more organized than their white counterparts. Racism is baked into the mainstream’s beliefs about people with different skin colors. It is unfair, but very real. White is seen as competent, while everyone else must prove their worth.

This is the lesson that parents of color teach their children, also known as “driving while black.” To protect our children, early on we share life’s ugly reality that the world isn’t fair. Your skin color can get you killed. Read more of Paul’s update.

USCA Updates And Black History Month

The USCA Website is Open for Business!

Mark your calendars for the 2018 United States Conference on AIDS (USCA) taking place September 6-9 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in sunny Orlando, FL. For more information, e-mail conferences@nmac.org.

Register Now!
Reserve an Exhibit Booth!
Sponsor the Conference!
Reserve a Program/ Mobile App Ad!
Apply for a Scholarship!

  • USCA General (Both A & B)
  • HIV50+ Strong and Healthy
  • Social Media Fellowship
What’s New at the 2018 USCA? Read more to find out!  

 

Black History Month Webinar Feb. 21

Join NMAC and the Black AIDS Institute for a webinar for Black History Month on Feb. 21 at 3:00 PM EST. We are thrilled to welcome Leisha McKinley-Beach to talk about advocacy and awareness of HIV from Black leadership from the very beginning of the epidemic.This webinar is the first in NMAC’s Community Spotlight webinar series this year to celebrate and spotlight communities that are often invisible or overlooked due to issues of race, gender, or gender identity – and to make sure they and their challenges with HIV are seen and heard.

Space is limited so REGISTER NOW!!!

 

NMAC Briefs the Congressional Black Caucus

by Matthew Rose, NMAC Policy and Advocacy Manger

Yesterday, in the halls of congress, on the heels of the announcement a major budget deal, and on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, NMAC met with staffers from the offices of the Congressional Black Caucus. With a group of dynamic leaders and community members, NMAC helped to deliver an updated call to action, discussing the current state of affairs with HIV and its role in the black community. The session focused on the lived experiences of individuals and the people they work with who are living at the front lines of this fight with a clear call for some of the more basic needs that can help make a difference, like supportive housing, access to healthcare, and stigma free sex education.

Read more about NNMAC’s Congressional Black Caucus briefing

 

Constituent Spotlight

From time to time, we want to share the inspiring stories of some of the people who are taking leadership roles in the fight against HIV with the help of NMAC. This week, our Communications Director Chip Lewis brings you the story of Teresa Sullivan.

Teresa Sullivan is in a good place in her life. She’s married to a loving and supportive husband, is a devoted grandmother and great-grandmother, and has a dedication to her work as an HIV educator and community activist.

But she didn’t get to this place easily. Teresa overcame numerous personal and health care challenges to get here.

Teresa has been living with HIV for 23 years. At the time of her diagnosis, she was in an abusive relationship.

“He told me no one else would want me because of my HIV status,” said Sullivan. “At the time, I was glad that there was someone I thought would love me unconditionally even though I had HIV.” Read Teresa’s full story here. 

NMAC Connection – A Preview Of Things To Come!

The Summit is Coming to L.A., Dec. 3-4!

The third annual Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit will be held Dec. 3-4  at the JW Marriott Los Angeles in downtown Los Angeles, California. Registration for the Summit is officially open!

NMAC believes biomedical HIV prevention tools like PrEP, PEP, Treatment as Prevention (TasP), and U=U create pathways to ending the epidemic. We are very excited to return to LA. The Summit is partnering with the Los Angeles County Division of HIV and STD Programs. For the first time, we will have a local host committee. Their job is to highlight how Southern California is working to end the epidemic.

For further information about the Summit please visit: www.biomedicalhivsummit.org. NMAC thanks Gilead for recommitting their support of this important meeting.

 

Space is Limited for Our Black History Month Webinar Feb 21!

Join NMAC and the Black AIDS Institute for a webinar for Black History Month on Feb. 21 at 3:00 PM EST. We are thrilled to welcome Leisha McKinley-Beach to talk about advocacy and awareness of HIV from Black leadership from the very beginning of the epidemic.

This webinar is the first in NMAC’s Community Spotlight webinar series (link) to celebrate and spotlight communities that are often invisible or overlooked due to issues of race, gender, or gender identity – and to make sure they and their challenges with HIV are seen and heard. Each month our Spotlight will highlight NMAC’s constituents.  March will focus on Women, April on Youth, May on Asian/Pacific Islanders, June is Pride, October on the Latinx community, and November on Native Americans. Register NOW!

 

Questions About the 2018 Elections? Join Us for a Facebook Live Event for Answers

Join NMAC’s Policy team for a Facebook Live event on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 2:00 PM EST on the 2018 midterm elections. To attend please visit us at facebook.com/NMACCommunity.

The ability to end HIV is real. Science allows us to treat HIV effectively and prevent it with biomedical tools. The life expectancy of people with HIV is almost equal to those not infected with HIV. Unfortunately, that is not the case for communities of color who continue to be disproportionally impacted by HIV. We will never end the epidemic if these health disparities are not addressed.

We need political will and real leadership to scale up access to treatment and biomedical prevention in all communities highly impacted by HIV. As we head into this year’s elections, hear from NMAC’s policy team on how to prepare your agency for this critical midterm election and get some tips on what you can and can’t do as a 501C3.

 

Keep up With NMAC

There’s a lot going on at NMAC. Keep up to date with our online calendar.

NMAC Connection: Be A Part of the USCA Program Team!

Join NMAC’s Constituent Advisory Panels and Make A Difference

Constituent Advisory Panels (CAPs) are a new initiative to better connect with key communities. Based on concerns raised at USCA and the Summit, NMAC is putting together four CAPs to increase our key connections.

The initial tasks of the CAPs will be to advise NMAC on workshops, institutes, plenaries, and scholarship decisions for the 2018 USCA and Summit. While the CAPs will work with all of NMAC, their main priority is our conferences. We are looking for leaders who work collaboratively and play well with others.

For more information and to apply for CAP membership, visit our website.

 

Questions About USCA? Join One of Our Webinars!

The United States Conference on AIDS isn’t until September but there are a lot of important deadlines before then. One of the first is submitting abstracts for consideration. That can be a confusing process, but NMAC is here to help!

Join us on Wednesday, March 7, for our first USCA 2018 webinar “How to Submit an Abstract.”  This free webinar will walk you through the entire submission process and give you a chance to ask any questions you may have. To register for the webinar click here.

NMAC will host additional webinars on USCA 2018, so watch this space for more information on them.

Constituent Spotlight: Queen Hatcher-Johnson

From time to time, we want to share the inspiring stories of some of the people who are taking leadership roles in the fight against HIV with the help of NMAC. This week, our Communications Director Chip Lewis brings you the story of transgender non-conforming leader Queen Hatcher-Johnson.

Living with HIV for more than two decades isn’t keeping Queen Hatcher-Johnson down. She’s now living her best life.
“HIV gave me a new birth with a new purpose to live and not just exist,” said Queen. “My life has changed for the good. I’m more honest and loyal than ever. It has opened my eyes to being healthy and staying healthy and educating others on the importance of being healthy.”

Read more of Queen’s story on our website: here

Keep Up With NMAC

Spring is on its way – and NMAC’s events keep growing. Keep up to date with our online calendar.

CDC’s Seven Banned Words

Nation’s Leading HIV/AIDS Organizations Condemn Efforts to Ban Words at CDC, Erase Transgender and Diversity

Washington, DC — Five of the nation’s leading organizations focused on ending the HIV and STD epidemics in the United States – AIDS United, NASTAD, the National Coalition of STD Directors, NMAC, and The AIDS Institute – expressed alarm over reports that the Trump Administration barred staff at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) from using certain words in its FY2019 budget justification to Congress.

While we continue to be in contact with the Administration, CDC, and other agencies regarding these reports, restrictions on these terms, in any manner, demonstrate this Administration’s troubling lack of commitment to science and we are seeking further clarification. Thanks to bipartisan support in Congress and the Executive Branch we have made incredible progress against HIV over the last decade. But budget proposals delineate policy priorities, and in rejecting science and evidence along with other commonly understood health language, this Administration calls into question its commitment to science and the health of all communities, including racial, ethnic, and sexual minorities.

Discouraging use and reference to “evidence-based” or “science-based,” is concerning enough. However, any attempt to remove “transgender” and “diversity” from CDC vocabulary would represent an outright dereliction of the stated duties of the agency. Such efforts are unacceptable and cannot go unanswered. Transgender people and people of color live under constant threat of systemic and specific discrimination and violence. Erasing them from official CDC documents ensures ongoing discrimination and undermines the ability of CDC to effectively respond to their health needs.

Evidence suggests the transgender community is particularly vulnerable to HIV and STDs. As citizens and residents of this nation, they should be treated with fairness and respect. As human beings, they are entitled to dignity and affirming care. AIDS United, NASTAD, NCSD, NMAC, and The AIDS Institute remain committed to ensuring that diversity is celebrated by our public health system and that its work is rooted in science, not politics. We stand with transgender staff, constituents, clients, and family, and will not relent in our demands that their health and the health of all marginalized and minority communities be prioritized by this Administration and the U.S. government.

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AIDS United (AU), NASTAD, the National Coalition of STD Directors (NCSD), NMAC, and The AIDS Institute (TAI) are national non-partisan, non-profit organizations focused on ending HIV in the U.S. They have been working in partnership to identify and share resources to sustain successes and progress we have made in HIV and STD prevention, care and treatment in the United States.