Where There’s People, There’s Power: A Reflection on the Power of Advocacy Through Storytelling

Now entering my second year as AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) Policy Communications Specialist, I had the privilege of attending my first in-person Advocacy Day in Springfield on February 26.  I had been working toward this day for months alongside my colleagues in the Policy & Advocacy division of AFC, and my fellow Communications team members, to create a digital engagement campaign, social media promotion, newsletters, fact sheets, and more.  It was a resounding success: Over 40 advocates joined us in Springfield, dozens more attended a Chicago-area Solidarity Happy Hour event, and over 300 people took action on Advocacy Day, sending over 1,500 emails to their state elected officials in support of AFC’s 2025 Advocacy Agenda. You can write to your elected officials through our Action Center to voice your support for the Agenda.

AFC's 2025 Advocacy Agenda covers issues that will further our goal to end the HIV epidemic in Illinois by 2030. Bills AFC is supporting during the state legislative session include provisions for increased funding for HIV care, prevention, and education, removing barriers to accessing HIV treatment and prevention, creating Overdose Prevention Sites to address the opioid crisis, and funding for affordable housing. Advocates who joined us in Springfield were people with lived experience of HIV and homelessness, who rehearsed powerful stories and shared them with legislators directly, to breathe life into the policy language, and give voice to the impacts of these bills. It was an enlightening and empowering experience, and gave me an up-close view of the way our democracy works, and how AFC works within it to advocate for people living with HIV. 


Day 1:  

In the early morning of Tuesday, February 25th, advocates gathered in the lobby of AFC’s office with travel bags and coffee in hand, ready for a long drive down to the State Capitol. AFC Policy & Advocacy staff loaded up the greyhound bus and double-checked attendance. We set off.  

Spirits were high on the ride down. Many advocates had been participating in AFC Advocacy Day for over a decade. This was my first trip down to Springfield with AFC. Several others were travelling to Springfield for the first time in their lives. When we arrived in Springfield, we met up with other advocates from across the state who were joining those of us who had taken the bus from Chicago.  Over lunch, we got to know one another. Some advocates planned to share personal stories with lawmakers about their lived experience. Advocates from within and outside of Cook County spoke and listened to each other’s stories, making connections to related concerns in their local communities.  

After lunch, we were briefed on objectives for the upcoming walk to the Capitol. After reaching the Capitol building, advocates split into groups and navigated through the labyrinthian halls lined with office spaces, guided by AFC staff, searching for legislators to invite to attend a briefing the next day. Greeted by staffers, advocates shared their stories firsthand with their legislators.  

Even after the long day and seemingly longer walk back to the hotel, spirits remained high in anticipation of the next day. During dinner, we were delighted to check social media and see Chicago area supporters in the AFC office enjoying a happy hour event in solidarity with our efforts. Knowing tomorrow would be long and begin early, we returned to our hotel rooms to rest up for the big day.  

Day 2:  

Another bright and early day greeted us as we gathered for a quick snack at dawn for the day’s briefing in anticipation of our walk to the Capitol building. Guided by our AFC policy and advocacy staff team, advocates walked to the Capitol and into the 2nd floor briefing room where our legislative briefing would be held. After a pep talk from AFC leaders and some much-appreciated Dunkin’ coffee, storytellers began to rehearse as the rest of the advocates discussed their excitement to be participating in Advocacy Day and reflected on successes from the previous day. For three 45-minute sessions, legislators and their staffers joined the audience to hear storytellers speak about their experiences with homelessness, incarceration, and living with HIV, emphasizing the pivotal impact AFC-supported policies have had on their ability to remain housed and in good health. Storytellers went on to powerfully appeal to legislators about why AFC’s current policy priorities for FY25 are essential to for success stories such as theirs to continue. These points were broken down and analyzed further by Timothy S. Jackson, Meg McElroy, and Aces Lira of the AFC Policy & Advocacy team, who laid out the details of how these policies would be implemented, and how the inner workings of policy would coalesce to yield tangible results in the lives of Illinoisians.  

After each session, advocates had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with their elected officials and give personal testimony in support of AFC’s policy priorities and how they would impact their lives for the better. Legislators were eager to hear firsthand accounts of how the legislation they vote on directly improves the lives of their constituents.  

With some group photos to wrap up the briefing, advocates headed back to the hotel for a quick lunch and a long but restful bus ride back to Chicago.  

Overall, Advocacy Day 2025 was a remarkable experience. In the current political climate, it seems easier than ever to feel hopeless and powerless. Being able to hear the stories of those directly impacted by policy and seeing elected officials witness those testimonies brought a fulfilling sense of accomplishment with it. We had done something. We made our voices heard and found community in the others who raised their voices alongside our own. At first, I had an anxious feeling, tasked with speaking to an elected official about a policy on which we had only recently been briefed. But during Advocacy Day, this feeling grew into a sense of confidence, understanding that legislators hear policy all day, but we were delivering something more compelling: the personal stories that are the foundation of those policies, that form the why and how of policy and advocacy work.  

Connect with AFC Policy & Advocacy:
Take action to voice your support of our 2025 Advocacy Agenda through our Action Center.
Text AFC to 40609 to get policy action alerts from AFC via text.