The Honor of Commitment
- The Honor of Commitment
When asked to participate in this adventure to Oxford,Mississippi and represent others living with this virus and to hold our elected officals accountable to our trust and faith to commitment to a cause that has devastated our communities across this nation. i was overwelmed with the greatest honor, i am from Harlem and am with Harlem United an agency that services a large community of HIV + people who are tired of the constant battle to maintain an integerty of life when budgets are always being cut as though life has no meaning. NO MORE; the people at Housing Works and teams of other agencies across this nation have had enough and with this carvan we are bringing the vocies of those living with this virus to the faces of the presidential canidates.
My Highlight
Walter Fisher with Harlem United
From city to state and now federal, the greatest highlight in my advocacy in HIV & AIDS is this journey and will be answered within 100 days!
- Walt
News from Newark
Dispatch from Dennis Weakley in NJ:
This morning in Newark at 10:30 we had an excellent event at North Jersey Community Research Initiative.
Kendall Clarke of North Jersey Community Research Initiative organized an event at their multiple-service site. Speakers included James Credle (Newark Pride), Gary Paul Wright (ED, African American Office of Gay Concerns) Danielle Bush (Project Mgr, NJCRI), Lynette Blount (Hyacinth AIDS Foundation).
“Why is all this money going abroad when Newark has the third highest incidence of HIV in the nation?” Lynette asked. “Thanks Bush, but we starvin’ here. Here in Newark we may as well go to Africa for care becuase they are getting more money than us. We need a National AIDS Strategy.”
The proud Newarkers that spoke this morning are soldiers in their community, Danielle having worked in “the field” for nearly 25 years, James has been around for nearly that long.
So we didn’t get any press coverage (diana scholl adds: not a surprise, since the city’s only newspaper is probably shutting down. This is kind of awful for our democracy) - but the camaraderie was high and these folks were great. They even gave us lunch, cases of water and some cash for the road.
BINGO Against AIDS!
Even though the Northeastern caravan wasn’t able to pass through the nation’s itty-bittiest state, Rhode Island activists found an ingenious way to promote the National AIDS Strategy. And Bingo was its name-o.
On Thursday night, they came in droves to get their game on, at the month Gay Bingo extravaganza at the Riveria Bingo Hall in Cranston, RI, a longstanding benefit for AIDS Project Rhode Island….
But this spirited crowd of people with HIV, gay men, lesbians and their
friends and family jumped at the chance to Stand Against AIDS, with over 110
people endorsing the call for a National AIDS Strategy!
The theme was sailor night, with many people costumed accordingly at this
popular Ocean State event. Julie Davids of CHAMP and the Coalition for a
National AIDS Strategy, invited to the bingo caller’s microphone to explain
why the strategy was so important, said that our nation is now like a boat
without a rudder, a captainless ship without a compass, tossing and turning
on rough seas of HIV/AIDS.
Then, volunteers from CHAMP, Providence Youth and Student Movement and
seaQuel (a local LGBT youth group by and for Southeast Asian youth) fanned
out and were warmly received by bingo players of all ages, genders and
sexual orientations as we talked one on one and table-by-table about the
need for a national plan.
”Absolutely,” said one signer, “We need this. They just cut my medications,
and there’s so many other problems here in HIV/AIDS we are not dealing
with!”
Thanks to Stephen Hogan of AIDS Project Rhode Island for inviting us to Gay
Bingo, and to the people of Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts for
Standing Against AIDS!
NYC Stands Against AIDS
CitiWide Harm Reduction stands against AIDS!
Even though the caravans will go through rain and shine, it’s always nice when the weather cooperates. About 500 people walked across the Brooklyn Bridge to City Hall with signs and banners chanting “Obama or McCain! Will you stand Against AIDS!”.
Bikers and tourists (or perhaps non-tourists who enjoy “I Love New York” t-shirts) cheered as we passed by.
Then to a lively rally at City Hall, where the need for a National AIDS Strategy was discussed. But speakers also reminded the crowd that the mayor and City Council just cut AIDS funding by $6 million, even as the CDC shows the rise in new HIV infections worse than expected. And that HASA for All–which would extend housing benefits to HIV asymptomatic people–is stil MIA thanks to Speaker Christine Quinn.
Housing Works’ Eric Bartley, GMHC’s Kristin Goodwin and Juanita Chestnut, NYCAHN’s Shirlene Cooper, Bailey House’s Gina Quattrochi and many others spoke about ending the AIDS epidemic nationally and locally.
The only snafu was a gospel choir that was supposed to perform showed up a bit late because they were stuck in traffic. It happens.
Thanks to GMHC, Bailey House, NYCAHN, Harlem United, CitiWide Harm Reduction and (of course) Housing Works for bringing out folks and making this event so lovely.
And now Larry and Dennis won’t be so lonely on the road down south. Their caravan is growing with a dozen new trippers coming along for the ride.
Northeastern caravan in NYC today!
The Northeastern caravan arrived in the NYC after midnight after a whirlwind Northeast world tour to walk the Brooklyn Bridge today to a rally at City Hall. And it’s 71 degrees and sunny in the city, so Stand Against AIDS if you’re in NYC!
Some Northeastern highlights of the past 36 hours:
After the awesome rally in Portland, Maine, Larry Bryant and Dennis Weakley went to Boston for a town hall meeting in the evening. The AIDS Action Committee facilitated a great town hall meeting, where Bostonians expressed outrage about the state’s rise in reported infection rates.
The next morning they headed to Albany (Dennis’s home court) where New York State Senator Neil Breslin, Dan Butterworth (Provider) of the Schenectady Damien Center and Jason Ward (provider/consumer) of In Our Own Voices. The event focused on the Strategy and how it should address the disparities in care particularly in places like upstate New York. Upstate New York relies on Part B funding, so there are minimal local appropriations, if any, to programs that deal with AIDS and HIV, poverty, and homelessness.
And the caravaners stayed on message. When a reporter asked Dennis what he thought about the fact that Wall Street’s crashing before our eyes, Dennis responded, “I’m most worried about how the people living on $5 a day are going to afford to eat.
“I’m not talking about AIDS,” snapped back the reporter.
“Neither am I,” said Dennis.
Let’s backtrack
And the walking caravan inadvertently demonstrated this yesterday.
The group started towards Greenwood, Mississippi. Got about 6 miles down the road and realized they were going in the wrong direction! Oops.
With the help of their mobile support they got back to their starting point and were able to get back on track and hike 8 miles in three hours! Today they are going to try to do 20 miles on their way to Belzoni, MS.
One of the highlights of last night was their group circle. Anyone who had done anything like this knows that tensions can rise after a few days. They were able to sit down and really focus on why they are doing what they are doing and the barriers don’t seem so large today. Feet are soar, legs are tired. but they keep marching!
Stand Against AIDS press coverage so far
More to come, of course.
Jackson, Mississippi:
WLBT 3: http://www.wlbt.com/Global/story.asp?S=9004874&nav=2CSf
WAPT 16: http://www.wapt.com/health/17467899/detail.html
Clarion Ledger: http://www.clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080906/OPINION/809060316/-1/archive
Daily Kos: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/9/15/53214/6559
Jackson Free Press: http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/index.php/site/comments/fall_arts_preview_2008_091008/
Miss 103: http://www.miss103.com/cc-common/mainheadlines3.html?feed=239277&article=3741168
Portland Maine:
Maine Public Radio: http://www.mpbn.net/asx/080916aids.asx
WCSH6: http://www.wcsh6.com/video/default.aspx?aid=41733&storyid=92910
WMTW8: http://www.wmtw.com/news/17488601/detail.html
WGME13: http://www.wgme.com/News/story_video/playFlashVideo.shtml?wgme/flipfactory/WGME_newsc
Press Herald: http://news.mainetoday.com/updates/032986.html
Associated Press: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20080916-NEWS-80916045
New England Blade: http://www.innewsweekly.com/innews/?class_code=Ne&article_code=6025
Yahoo for Yazoo City
Charles King, James Meredith and Valenica Robinson start walking
It’s a good thing the ACLU of Mississippi is providing legal support, because the walking caravan was stopped by the cops AGAIN yesterday. This time the designated police escort assumed the walkers wouldn’t be moving since it was raining. Like a little rain would stop our intrepid walkers! Nope, the caravan kept on trucking.
As they walked through Yazoo City (best town name ever? yes), a group of high schoolers asked them to speak at a pep rally today. The Campaign to End AIDS crew said yes, of course.
Housing Works President and CEO Charles King will be joining the walkers today. He’ll be sure to wake the rest of the walkers up at 5 a.m. doing push-ups, as is his custom.
Stand Against AIDS loves Portland, Maine
Bossie addresses crowd at City Hall
The Northeastern caravan kick-off couldn’t have been better. Thanks to the fantastic organizing of Maine AIDS Alliance’s Andy Bossie; and Jeannemarie Celentano of the Frannie Peabody Center, a crowd of 70-strong turned up at at rally at Portland City Hall this morning to call for a National AIDS Strategy. Candidates running for office, the Portland DOH, people with AIDS, providers and tons of community-based organizers were all there, and the energy was high. Nearly all of Portland’s news outlets were in attendance.
And it wasn’t just preaching to the choir. A passersby asked, “What is HIV?” and C2EA organizer Larry Bryant explained. When the man understood about the deadly disease, he replied, “Someone’s got to do something about that!”
Everyone was supportive of the caravan coming through, even allowing caravan leader Dennis Weakley to park his car on the sidewalk. Thanks to Portland for some good-old New England hospitality!
Next stop for the Northeastern caravan is Boston!
