News and Events Archives - Page 19 of 71 - AIDS Foundation of Chicago

by Timothy Jackson, Director of Government Relations

AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) applauds Illinois Governor JB Pritzker for signing House Bill 3653, the Illinois Criminal Justice Omnibus Bill —landmark legislation that brings significant criminal justice reforms to Illinois. These reforms include the end of cash bail, new police accountability standards, and new pretrial release guidelines, among others.

Congratulations to the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, the bill sponsors, Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr., and State Representative Justin Slaughter, for successfully shepherding these necessary reforms through the General Assembly.

AFC strongly believes that racial justice is health justice. Governor Pritzker signing House Bill 3653 sends a message loud and clear that the health and well-being of Black families matter, the safety of Black communities matter, and yes, Black Lives Matter!

To learn more about HB 3653, explore the resources below:

For any questions about HB 3653, please contact Timothy Jackson, AFC Director of Government Relations at [email protected].

2021 AFC State Budget Address Statement

Standing at the site of a former makeshift hospital on the Illinois State Fairgrounds used to treat those afflicted with the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker delivered an unconventional — and virtual — State of the State and Budget Address on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Speaking in a room used to administer COVID-19 vaccines and with a “new appreciation for fullness of life,” Governor Pritzker outlined his vision for the state moving forward post-pandemic, as well as the tough choices “that must be made to balance our state budget amid economic hardship for everyday Illinoisans.”

In his Fiscal Year 2022 [FY22] budget, Governor Pritzker outlined several priorities including $750,000 in new state funding for a suicide prevention, education and treatment program. Other priorities include the full funding of the Home Services Program with an allocation of an additional $56 million and a dedicated $25 million for the Eviction Mitigation program that will keep Illinoisans facing eviction in their homes. The governor also highlighted that his proposed budget would spend $1.8 billion less than Fiscal Year 2021 [FY21] and reflects $400 million in additional cuts to appropriations, a hiring freeze and the closure of “corporate loopholes” that should net an additional $932 million to the state’s General Fund. Finally, Governor Pritzker noted that the state’s economic recovery is tied directly to the recovery from COVID-19, and that his proposed FY22 budget “reduces spending to meet the projected revenues.”

While AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) understands the state’s precarious fiscal outlook, we are, however, disappointed that the governor’s FY22 proposed budget does not prioritize funding to address the racial health disparities experienced by people living with or vulnerable to HIV. Additionally, the governor’s budget does not support the investment needed to assist the communities disproportionately impacted by HIV and COVID-19: Black, Latinx, Indigenous and LGBTQ+ populations. Specific to health and human services, the governor’s FY22 proposed budget flat-funds most HIV-related programs when compared to FY21:

Funding for the state’s flagship HIV prevention and treatment fund (the “HIV Lump Sum”) remains stagnant, for a proposed total of $26.6 million;
Funding for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS for communities of color including the African American HIV/AIDS Response Act Fund remains the same as FY21 with $1.2 million proposed; and
Supportive housing services, which includes vital assistance for people living with HIV or chronic behavioral or physical conditions, received an additional $159,000 for a total of $41.9 million (an increase in funding of 0.39%).

AFC’s President/CEO John Peller shared hopes for increased funding to address the state’s HIV-related funding needs: “We are committed to partnering with the legislature to advocate for additional HIV funding to fulfill the goals and priorities of the Getting to Zero Illinois (GTZ-IL) plan to end the HIV epidemic by 2030. As currently written, the governor’s proposed budget lacks the investment of additional resources necessary to continue the work of ending the HIV epidemic in Illinois. We look forward to continued conversations with the governor’s office and members of the Illinois General Assembly to ensure that making short and long-term investments in HIV testing, prevention and PrEP, and treatment is valued as a top priority.”

AFC pledges to work with legislators and advocates over the coming weeks and months to advocate for a $2 million increase in the HIV Lump Sum and a $15 million increase for HIV funding focused specifically for Black communities. In addition, AFC will advocate for $900,000 in new funding to be prioritized in the state budget to address the growing rates of STI diagnoses (chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis).

Finally, AFC supports the governor’s efforts to close corporate loopholes and decouple the state from federal tax policy passed in the CARES Act that would take at least $500 million in revenue from the state’s General Fund. We also believe that passing common sense solutions to add much-needed revenue to the state’s bottom line is a necessity if we are to reverse the state’s fiscal woes. As a member of the Responsible Budget Coalition, AFC looks forward to working with Governor Pritzker, members of the Illinois General Assembly and coalition partners to enact reforms that will put Illinois back on the right financial footing.

In closing, we realize that we cannot and do not do this work alone. Community advocates using their voices and sharing their stories play a vital role in AFC’s continued advocacy to protect people living with or vulnerable to HIV. To that end, AFC urges advocates from across Illinois to participate in this year’s virtual Advocacy Week that will be held from Monday, April 19 through Friday, April 23, 2021! This will be a terrific opportunity for advocates to #ActivatePowerIL and advance health equity for the most vulnerable in our communities. For more information or to register, please visit our Advocacy Center here!

By Bailey Williams

Shortly after having her son in 2019, Robin Petties found herself without stable housing. Her son stayed with his grandparents, while she couch surfed at friends’ apartments or slept in her car.

Robin’s household was just one of many families with children experiencing homelessness in Chicago. In 2018, the last year for which U.S. Census data is available, 30,681 families with children experienced housing insecurity, with most staying temporarily with friends or family.

Often to break up this routine, Robin relied on restaurants and other establishments she could go in and enjoy a meal. During winters especially, those businesses ensured she did not have to stay outside in the cold. But when the new coronavirus (COVID-19) prompted restrictions in 2020, many of the places Robin relied on for respite closed. On top of that, if she was going to sleep in her car, she had to find new places to safely do so, since previously populated parking lots were emptier. In short, an already challenging situation got harder.

In December, Robin received a call from the Center for Housing and Health, a supporting organization of AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC), letting her know about the Flexible Housing Pool (FHP). Developed in collaboration with community partners, the program helps residents experiencing homelessness find reliable, stable housing of their choosing through partnerships with landlords across the city. Once housed, the program helps participants pay their rent each month, furnish their apartments and find other supportive services they need, including employment.

Thanks to an additional $5 million investment from the City of Chicago, the FHP was able to expand to focus on helping young adults with minor children find permanent housing. The goal is to serve 200 families, as part of the City of Chicago’s increased investment in homelessness prevention to reduce youth housing instability by 25%. So far, the FHP has housed 20 families with 50 minor children, including Robin’s.

Robin confirmed she was interested and was then connected to a housing specialist, case manager and eventually, an apartment. The FHP then helped her acquire silverware, pots, pans and other furnishings that made her apartment feel like a home.

“I love having my own apartment,” Robin said. “I love that my son is able to have his own room. I love that he can run around and be free without anyone yelling or screaming at him.”

Robin said having her own apartment has eliminated many barriers for her family. It has made it easier to schedule and keep doctor’s appointments for herself and her son, knowing they had a home to return to rather than having to find a new place to stay if she left an area. Robin and her son could also stay home and social distance more during the pandemic. Lastly, Robin has also been able to read more, which is something she really enjoys.

In less than two years, the FHP has successfully secured permanent housing for 144 people experiencing homelessness. These individuals were identified by partnering hospitals, who keep an eye out for patients who could benefit from the program.

“It’s a really great program, especially for people who are trying to find a way to get on their feet,” Robin said. “It’s a very good stepping stone.”

To learn more about the Flexible Housing Pool, click here. To learn more about the Center for Housing and Health’s work, click here.

By Bailey Williams

Longtime epidemiologist Gary B. Beringer, Dr. P.H., age 70, passed away suddenly Wednesday, Jan. 27 at his home in Chicago, IL. Gary, an only child, is survived by his wife, Nancy M. Abbate, who worked alongside Gary in business as well as life.

Gary had an excellent memory and continued aptitude for learning new things, but his body was breaking down, Nancy said. He was still working as the Principal/CEO of Beringer & Associates, providing scientific case preparation for attorneys and law firms, and as a corporate officer and senior researcher at Abbate Group, LTD, which assists foundations, government and nonprofit organizations.

“I think he would want to be remembered as a loving husband—someone who was supportive of me—who was ultimately a man of science and an excellent epidemiologist,” Nancy said.

Education and Training in New York

Born and raised in New York, Gary began his education in New York Public Schools, where he showed early signs of extraordinary intelligence. If Gary fell ill and was out of school for a few weeks, it only took him about two days to get ahead of where his class was currently at. His fourth-grade teacher recognized this and encouraged his parents to find a school that matched his aptitude. Gary then transitioned and graduated from Horace Mann School, a college-preparatory K-12 school in the Bronx.

It turned out Gary wasn’t just smart; he tested as a genius. Gary was also a talented pianist, who had the opportunity to attend Julliard after graduating from Horace Mann. He ultimately decided to pursue a career in science instead. He earned a Bachelor of Science in 1972 from Fordham University in psychology and biology. He then received a Master of Public Health in 1974 and a Doctor of Public Health in 1976 from Columbia University Faculty of Medicine in epidemiology with a concentration in chronic diseases.

Following graduation, Gary received training as a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in psychiatry and a Post-Doctoral Trainee in mental health services research and evaluation at Albert Einstein College of Medicine from 1976 to 1978. Years later, Gary also earned certificates in mediation from DePaul University School of Law.

Wide-ranging Career as a Man of Science

Gary’s postgraduate career was diverse and spanned more than 40 years. He worked as a full-time tenured faculty member at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He also served the New York Health Department as Assistant Commissioner and Director of the Division of Planning and Evaluation.

In 1994, he founded Beringer & Associates Litigation Support, which provided attorneys and law firms comprehensive case preparation in civil and criminal matters related to medical, health care and scientific issues. Although based in Chicago, the practice offered services to law firms across the United States.

Gary’s mentor and renowned doctor, Pascal James Imperato, MD, MPH&TM, MACP, remarked that Beringer & Associates created “a vital role for epidemiologic analysis in the judicial world.”

“He was a remarkable epidemiologist,” said Pascal. “The late Dr. Lowell E. Bellin, who preceded me as Commissioner of Health of NYC and then became Professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University’s School of Public Health, introduced us. Lowell thought the world of Gary and so did everyone who knew him.”

Life Outside Work: Love, Knowledge and Change

Nancy said Gary’s hunger for knowledge and intellect were driving factors in her initial attraction to him. Often the two would watch a television show together and Gary would be able to identify the names, backgrounds and acting histories of supporting characters. Nancy would often reflect, “how can you know and remember this?” Nancy and Gary married in 1995 after serving on several federal review panels together in Washington, D.C.

“He was the love of my life, a deeply caring person, and had just an amazing intellect and a quest for knowledge of all kinds,” Nancy said.

In 2003, Gary had the first of four strokes he would have over the course of 17 years. The strokes left Gary living with disabilities including limited functioning of one arm and leg. Gary continued to work and became an advocate for others living with disabilities.

Contribution to AIDS Foundation Chicago

As someone with a heart geared toward service, Gary joined AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC)’s Board of Directors in 2016 and contributed countless insights, advocacy especially around people living with disabilities, and even blog posts and op-eds supporting the organization. Gary will be deeply missed by many at AFC; his contributions will not be forgotten.

“I am grateful for Gary’s service on the AFC Board,” said John Peller, AFC President/CEO. “He brought deep experience as an epidemiologist and cared tremendously about AFC as an organization, his fellow Board members, and the people we serve. Gary was happy to step up whenever needed, from mentoring staff and Board members to joining committees. He was truly a model Board member, and we’ll miss him greatly.”

“It was an incredible honor to serve on AFC’s Board and our Policy & Advocacy Committee with Dr. Beringer over the last few years,” said Craig W. Johnson, AFC Board Chair. “We shared many mutual concerns, including race and social justice, the COVID pandemic, and mentoring the next generation of public health and HIV advocates. I will always appreciate the epidemiological lens that he contributed to our many discussions on AFC’s role in policy development and strategic planning. The entire AFC Board will truly miss Dr. Beringer’s commitment and dedication to the future of AFC, his firm yet encouraging approach to furthering our work as leaders in the fight to end HIV/AIDS, and his gentle influence on all of us as a teacher and mentor.”

Funeral services for Gary will be held at Mount Hebron Cemetery in Queens, New York, Friday, Feb. 5, at 2 p.m. At this time, the family is not accepting flowers, but donations can be made to AFC.

By Bailey Williams

For those of us who write, it is necessary to scrutinize not only the truth of what we speak, but the truth of that language by which we speak it. – Audre Lorde

A few weeks after George Floyd was killed in Minneapolis and protests galvanized the nation, the Associated Press Stylebook—the language and style guide most news outlets and many others use in written communications—finally updated its entry on the word “Black,” capitalizing the “B” when referring to people. Though this update was important, it came years after Black communities spoke up about this issue.

In 2014, Lori Tharps, an assistant professor of journalism at Temple University wrote in the New York Times about the importance of capitalizing “Black,” explaining that this issue dates to the 1920s. It was then she writes that W.E.B. Du Bois launched a campaign “demanding that book publishers, newspaper editors and magazines capitalize the N in Negro when referring to Black people,” because at the time, that was the name used to refer to the race. Capitalizing the first letter was simply a matter of respect.

Following in Du Bois’ footsteps, Lori started a petition in 2014 that garnered more than 200 signatures, asking for publications to capitalize “Black” when used to refer to Black people. Though the AP Stylebook is updated every other year, it did not make that change until 2020.

The Limitations of Solely Following AP Style

Many traditional news outlets rely on the AP Stylebook to guide their editorial decisions, and many nonprofits have followed that example, using the AP Stylebook as a tool to create consistency in their communications. The problem with that lies in the speed at which the AP Stylebook updates its entries on specific communities if it does so at all.

By following language and style guidance that’s out-of-touch with the communities you serve, you risk delivering harmful, disrespectful messages that over time can damage your relationship and prevent the sharing of resources and information that could improve or save a life.

That’s why AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) developed its own Style Guide more than 20 years ago, in keeping first with the main community the organization served, people living with HIV and AIDS. Though AFC follows AP Style when our own Style Guide doesn’t have advice on a topic, we seek feedback from our core communities to guide our written communications about them. Our language about people living with HIV, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and people who experience housing insecurity prioritizes input from those communities, knowing that sometimes the AP Stylebook does not have it right.

How We Center the Communities We Serve in our Style Guide

The process for updating AFC’s Style Guide has changed over time, but under my leadership as the manager of the Style Guide, I have increased the frequency and speed in which we make community-informed updates.

First, I, a community member, staff, or another individual will point to a needed update in our Style Guide. I then conduct research using the pre-existing and thorough guides available online (listed below) and write a suggested entry. I then present my research and proposed update to the Communications Team, who can offer feedback, ask questions, and vote on the update. Nothing is published without the entire team’s approval.

Depending on the nature of the entry, I also sometimes present proposed updates to AFC’s Race and Social Justice Committee, which is formed of staff who are from various communities we serve. They also review the suggested entry, hear previously provided feedback and make recommendations with an intersectional, social justice-focused approach for AFC’s specific communities. After I receive everyone’s recommendations, I update the Style Guide within the week.

A Case Study and Resource for Other Organizations

One recent example of this process in action is the update I made around the acronym “BIPOC” which stands for Black, Indigenous, and people of color. I first developed an entry, inspired by The Diversity Style Guide, that was voted on by the Communications team, but because it dealt with some of AFC’s core communities, I also brought the entry to the Race and Social Justice Committee.

It was there that a few members noted that older adults and several other community members were less familiar with that term than people of color. Still, the term was growing in usage amongst some Black, Indigenous and people of color, so the Style Guide entry recommends if one uses the newer term BIPOC to define it on first reference, so that everyone is on the same page. AFC still uses people of color, as well, because it is language that many in our community use, recognize and understand.

This extensive process might not be available to every organization, so last year, we put our Style Guide online. It is not set in stone and it may not be perfect, but we are committed to updating it to reflect and be affirming of the communities we serve, with feedback from those communities. If you have a suggestion for our Style Guide, please reach out to me with the subject line “AFC Style Guide” at [email protected].

The Editor’s Desk is a new series, written by Bailey Williams (she/her/hers), AFC’s Communications Specialist, who manages and writes original content for AFC’s blog Inside Story. The series aims to share knowledge and reflections that come up while managing the blog with the hopes of creating a new dialogue, resource-sharing and added transparency behind our editorial decisions.

Style guides Bailey has found helpful and inspirational include The Diversity Style Guide, The Trans Journalist Association Style Guide and The National Association of Black Journalists.

By Tristan Cabello

Bronzeville is often thought of as one of Chicago’s most prominent, African-American neighborhoods, but it was also home to a vibrant, well-accepted queer culture that emerged in the 1920s. From State Street to Cottage Grove Avenue, along 43rd and 47th Street, Bronzeville’s commercialized and jazz-influenced urban culture offered African-American queers several venues where individuals interacted across the color line (the Plantation Café, the Pleasure Inn, the Cabin Inn, Club DeLisa and Joe’s Deluxe), attended yearly popular Halloween “Drag Balls” popularized by Black gay hustler Alfred Finnie, visited semi-safe locations (the Wabash YMCA, The First Church of Deliverance, Washington Park, Jackson Park), and patronized a “vice district.” Bronzeville’s most powerful inhabitants (Reverend Clarence Cobb and Reverend Mary G. Evans) and its most famous musicians (Tony Jackson, Rudy Richardson, Sippie Wallace, Frankie “Half-Pint” Jaxon, and George Hannah) were queer. On the streets, working-class queer African Americans (drag entertainers, for example) were respected because of their relatively well-paying jobs, which often enabled them to provide for their families’ needs.

During the Great Migration, Bronzeville’s queer population grew rapidly. In an environment of relative sexual freedom, African Americans in Bronzeville could establish relationships with members of the same sex. Blues pianist Antony Jackson was one of the many queer migrants who left their native South to take advantage of Chicago’s freedom. Born in New Orleans in 1876, Jackson spent his youth in saloons, gambling halls, and brothels in the Black neighborhood of Storyville. Despite his great popularity as a musician, Jackson often complained about the tough queer life in New Orleans. In search of a place of residence more receptive to his music and sexual orientation, the musician migrated to Chicago in 1908.

Along with several other gay blues singers, queer female blues singers also enjoyed a great popularity in Bronzeville’s cabarets in the twenties and thirties. Blues singers, such as Gladys Bentley, Alberta Hunter, and ‘Ma’ Rainey, often performed in Chicago and had recorded numerous sexually explicit songs that included descriptions of queer acts. In “Sissy Man Blues,” a traditional tune recorded by numerous male blues singers, the singer demanded, “If you can’t bring a woman, bring me a sissy man.” The blues reflected a culture that accepted sexuality, including queer acts and identities, as a natural part of life.

Female impersonators (a term widely used in the 1930s-1950s to describe Drag performers) also enjoyed a great popularity due to the “Drag Balls” organized every Halloween and New Year’s Eve. The official “approval” was made possible by the fact that the events regularly took place on those holidays, and thus for official purposes, were able to pass as conventional masquerade balls. The first Chicago balls were also racially integrated, a fact frequently remarked upon by those who attended or wrote about them. The most famous of these Drag Balls were the first Finnie’s balls, the first of which occurred in 1935 and were organized by a Black gay street hustler and gambler named Alfred Finnie, in the basement of a tavern on the corner of 38th street and Michigan Avenue. Guests of the ball only paid twenty-five cents to attend.

A Black Queer Subculture Emerges, Faces Anti-Queer Media Campaign

Following the Second World War a few years later, a segregated African-American queer subculture emerged in Bronzeville. The migration of queer people to Chicago gave rise to an increase of North Side gay bars from which Blacks were often excluded. By the mid-forties, most of Bronzeville’s former queer-friendly nightclubs had become exclusively African-American gay clubs (example: The Kitty Kat Club).

During the Civil Rights movement, Bronzeville’s Black queer residents also became politically active in a range of activities that expanded queer culture beyond entertainment settings. African-American gay men undertook responsibilities in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Community and the Congress of Racial Equality. Many African-American lesbians, by contrast, participated in the Chicago Women’s Liberation Movement.

As the civil rights movement became more popular in the 1950s, a campaign to regulate the sexuality of the working class was launched with the publication of several articles in Ebony, such as the one written by U.S. Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. titled “Sex in the Church.” Nine months after Powell’s article, Ebony shifted its views on queer people and culture with an article on Gladys Bentley. This article, titled “I am woman again,” read that “like a great number of lost souls, Bentley inhabited the half shadow no-man’s land which exists between the boundaries of the two sexes, she was a sad and lonely person and that she had found the love of real man.”

From that moment on, Ebony Magazine and Jet Magazine replaced their articles on the Drag Balls with a “Family” section. The magazines’ publisher John Johnson recalled that his decision to “play down sensationalism and sex” was compelled by the emergence of a new race consciousness. The Chicago Defender soon followed the same trend. In 1957, the Chicago Defender announced that it would publish a series of articles on the “third sex,” which cast aside its longstanding relationship with Bronzeville’s queer community and female impersonators.

Additional Black Queer Enclaves Form Beyond Bronzeville

By the sixties and seventies, African-American queers had shaped a well-defined community with distinct spaces, codes, and language beyond just Bronzeville. Hyde Park, South Shore, and the southern part of Grant Park became queer enclaves. Clubs such as the Kabbutz or the Jeffery Pub, were staples in Chicago’s African-American gay bar culture. Third World Studios of Chicago distributed a magazine devoted to African-American gay males. Queers had access to the local Black media. As early as February 1978, talk show host Ouida Lindsey interviewed two Black gay men about the challenges of being African-American and gay on her successful WFLD prime-time talk show.

In the meantime, African-American and white gays and lesbians had started to work in different political directions. The Chicago Gay Liberation movement had gained cultural exposure despite ongoing tensions between Blacks and whites. A Black Caucus, which later became The Third World Gay Revolution, formed within the Chicago Gay Liberation to address the specific concerns of African-American lesbians and gay men.

Black Queer Activists Join Initial Fight Against HIV Epidemic

Chicago’s Black queer activists were also involved in the fight against HIV and AIDS early in the epidemic. Upon the Chicago Black Gay Christian Conference, David Wright, president of the Chicago Chapter of the National Coalition for Black Gays, began offering HTLV (the first name given to HIV) education and prevention to Chicago’s African-American gay community. A small but strong grassroots support and activist system provided safe spaces available for people living with HIV and AIDS to disclose their sexuality and status. In September 1983, the African-American radio network WVON broadcasted a five-part series on AIDS.

Still, the disease was silenced in the more mainstream media. The passing of several artists who were fixtures in the local African-American gay community in the early eighties amplified this silent accommodation. While many Gay South Siders knew choreographer Joseph Holmes or disco singer Keith Barrow had died due to complications of AIDS, their status was not discussed publicly at the time of their deaths.

The AIDS epidemic strengthened the sense of a fragmented community. The story of the Kupona Network group, an AIDS organization that worked with Black institutions such as churches or schools in order to prevent new HIV transmissions, is telling. In 1986, the Kupona Network divided into two factions, one merging with larger North Side white-dominated organizations and another one remaining on the South Side, to help African Americans living with the virus. A member of the South Side division declared in the gay newspaper the Windy City Times that “larger gay agencies [would] never reach the Black community because Blacks [were] not a functioning part of these organizations and agencies and because most [were] located on the North Side, away from the majority of the Black, community.”

Ultimately, the Civil Rights movement, the Gay Liberation Movement and the AIDS epidemic were major events that fueled the segmentation of Chicago’s Black queer cultures and led to an increase visibility of the culture’s diversity. Many Black queers evolved beyond the urban boundaries of their home cultures. Some aligned with larger North-Side organizations. Others remained on the South Side of Chicago. Many evolved between the two, and beyond, rendering the community’s diversity in class, gender identities, and sexual preferences even more perceptible. So, when you think of Bronzeville now, remember its queer history and evolution.

Tristan Cabello received his PhD in History from Northwestern University and is currently Associate Director of the Master of Liberal Arts at Johns Hopkins University. To learn more about the history of Chicago’s South Side gays and lesbians and see a bibliography, visit Tristan’s digital exhibit.

“The Biden Administration has reaffirmed its commitment to undertake an honest and long overdue reckoning with sexism and structural racism in our society.”

(Chicago, January 21, 2021) – President Biden yesterday rescinded the Trump administration executive order that sought to prohibit federal contractors and grantees from conducting workplace diversity trainings or engaging in grant-funded work that explicitly acknowledges and confronts the existence of structural racism and sexism in our society. In late December, Lambda Legal secured a preliminary injunction to block implementation of key aspects of the executive order in federal district court.

“President Biden’s decision rescinding this harmful executive order is a step in the right direction to undo the harms caused over the past four years. In addition, this move relieves any doubt about whether there will be an appeal of the federal injunction,” said Aisha N. Davis, Esq., Director of Policy, AIDS Foundation Chicago. “We are hopeful as we continue to monitor the changes that President Biden makes in his administration’s first 100 days – this administration has the potential to make lasting, positive change for people living with HIV.”

The Executive Order, issued September 22, 2020, and later Trump administration guidance labeled the discussion of intersectionality, critical race theory, white privilege, systemic racism, or implicit or unconscious bias in diversity training as “race and sex scapegoating” and forbade agencies from “promot[ing]” these “divisive concepts.” The order described such trainings as un-American, directed agency heads to audit internal training curricula and discontinue these trainings, to conduct a similar audit of federal contractors, and to suspend or deny funding to contractors and grantees whose trainings or grant-funded activities cover these topics.

“The Trump administration’s effort to quash any discussion of the continued pernicious impact of structural racism, implicit bias, and sexism in U.S. society was both gratuitous and harmful,” said Scott Schoettes, Counsel and HIV Project Director, Lambda Legal. “This past summer’s protests after the murder of George Floyd and the disproportionate impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on communities of color have made that very clear. Joe Biden campaigned on a promise to confront these issues. Today, the Biden Administration has reaffirmed its commitment to undertake an honest and long overdue reckoning with sexism and structural racism in our society.”

The consultancy plaintiff is B. Brown Consulting, a Michigan-based business with a federal contract to train correctional facility staff, governmental agencies, and nonprofits. The individual plaintiff is Dr. Ward Carpenter, co-director of Health Services at LA LGBT Center. The organizational plaintiffs include: the Los Angeles LGBT Center; The Diversity Center in Santa Cruz, CA; AIDS Foundation of Chicago; CrescentCare in New Orleans, LA; Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center in Allentown, PA; and, SAGE, based in New York City.

The lawsuit is The Diversity Center v. Trump. Read more about the case here: https://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/the-diversity-center-v-trump

More about the clients is available here: https://www.lambdalegal.org/the-diversity-center-v-trump_plaintiffs

Lambda Legal’s team working on the case includes: Camilla Taylor; Karen Loewy; Scott Schoettes; Currey Cook; Omar Gonzalez-Pagan; Avatara A. Smith-Carrington; Alexis Paige; and, Cheryl Angelaccio. They are joined by pro-bono co-counsel from Ropes & Gray, including: Douglas Hallward-Driemeier; Kirsten Mayer; Nathalia Sosa; Jessica Soto; Thanithia Billing; Annie Monjar; Jennifer Cullinane; Ethan Weinberg; Fred Boehrer; and, William Richard Allen.

###

Contact: Tom Warnke; (c): 213-841-4503; Email: [email protected]

Lambda Legal is a national organization committed to achieving full recognition of the civil rights of lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, transgender people and everyone living with HIV through impact litigation, education and policy work. www.lambdalegal.org

By Bailey Williams

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, talks of record unemployment for the general U.S. population filled newspaper headlines and nightly newscasts. Alarm bells sound and talks of economic recovery continue, but not for everyone.

Almost two years before the pandemic, the Prison Policy Initiative found that the rate of unemployment for people who recently left jail or prison (also known as “returning citizens”) was 27%—more than 4 times the rate of the general U.S. population during a global pandemic and more than the unemployment rate of the U.S. population during the Great Depression. Returning citizens want jobs, but structural barriers including highly prevalent stigma keep them unemployed and underemployed, especially Black and Latinx populations who are often working in low-wage, entry level positions.

For the past three years, AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC)’s Safe and Sound Return Partnership (SSRP) has worked on eliminating some of these barriers for more than 100 returning citizens living with HIV and AIDS by providing key resources normally out of reach. These resources not only help citizens adjust to their former lives, but also helps keep the re-entry population retained in care, allowing them to achieve and maintain undetectable viral loads that support their health and prevent the transmission of HIV.

“The goal of SSRP is to be a one-stop shop for returning citizens, offering case management, housing and employment support upon re-entry,” said L’Oreal Bailey, AFC’s senior manager of special projects.

Thanks to a new partnership with RiseKit, a community-based platform powering economic mobility programs, SSRP will be able to provide even more employment support to recently released individuals.

RiseKit ensures every job seeker from underserved communities has the tools to manage their employment journey, can get connected with relevant jobs, training and resources to overcome employment barriers, and receive timely guidance from nonprofit staff. Similar to Indeed or ZipRecruiter, anyone can sign up using a phone number or email on any device with an Internet connection.

Unlike other job platforms, RiseKit focuses on serving often overlooked, underserved and marginalized talent. Because of its expansive and growing network of nonprofits and employers across Chicago, RiseKit can put jobs in front of returning citizens that hire recently released people and local talent.

“RiseKit has been building its mission towards elevating the lives of others by sharing jobs and opportunities for over three years,” said Dominique Wilson, RiseKit co-founder and success manager. “AFC and RiseKit share the core value of improving the lives of our community members.”

In addition to specific, local job listings, there’s several other features that make the platform well-suited for returning citizens. RiseKit offers a downloadable resume that enables individuals to fill in a template rather than starting from scratch. RiseKit also provides information on relevant job trainings for returning citizens who may have been out of the workforce for a longer time than others.

Because RiseKit is a web-based platform, corrections navigators at Cook County Health—who work with SSRP to support returning citizens—can go into the platform, recommend specific jobs to individuals, and follow them through the entire hiring process, all while maintaining social distancing. This support ensures that people do not fall through the cracks of lengthy hiring processes.

“Thanks to RiseKit, I can see if a client has not completed a step in the employment process,” said Carla Davis, Corrections Navigator at Cook County Health. “I can then encourage the client to complete that step in order to move along in the hiring process and gain employment.”

Because the partnership is new, a few returning citizens have only created profiles, viewed relevant resources and become accustomed with the platform. Over time, SSRP expects more returning citizens will point to RiseKit as a tool and supportive network that enables them to find a job, despite the structural barriers working against them.

“As we work alongside AFC, its extended partners from the Safe & Sound Return Partnership and others to create a one-stop shop for jobs and resources, we will be able to support more job seekers and connect them to the resources they have been searching for,” Dominique said.

To learn more about the SSRP RiseKit partnership, click here. To learn more about AFC’s corrections work during the COVID-19 pandemic, read our coverage here. To learn more about RiseKit or seek information on partnering with the growing job platform, click here.

“Judge Freeman saw this ban for what it is: An effort to quash the truth and sweep under the rug an honest and long overdue reckoning with sexism and structural racism in our society.”

(San Francisco, CA, December 23, 2020) – Last month, U.S. District Court Judge Beth Labson Freeman issued a nationwide preliminary injunction barring the Trump administration from implementing its executive order that prohibits federal contractors and grantees from conducting workplace diversity trainings or engaging in grant-funded work that explicitly acknowledges and confronts the existence of structural racism and sexism in our society.

Judge Freeman issued her ruling after hearing oral argument November 10, 2020, on the motion for a preliminary injunction sought by Lambda Legal in its lawsuit filed earlier in November challenging the ban.

From the ruling:

“The Court agrees with Plaintiffs that the Government’s argument is a gross mischaracterization of the speech Plaintiffs want to express and an insult to their work of addressing discrimination and injustice towards historically underserved communities. That this Government dislikes this speech is irrelevant to the analysis but permeates their briefing.”

“Judge Freeman’s ruling granting our nationwide preliminary injunction provided a moment of hopefulness at the end of an administration that has consistently attempted to undermine the very humanity of oppressed communities,” said Aisha N. Davis, Esq., AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) Director of Policy. “For AFC, this ruling means that we are able to continue to do the work with and on behalf of our communities – and do so in a way that acknowledges the very serious need to address white supremacy. As we turn the page on 2020 and the Trump administration, we are looking forward to fewer impediments to the necessary work we must do around racial equity in spaces dedicated to serving people living with HIV.”

The Executive Order, issued September 22, 2020, and later Trump administration guidance labels the discussion of intersectionality, critical race theory, white privilege, systemic racism, or implicit or unconscious bias in diversity training as “race and sex scapegoating” and forbids agencies from “promot[ing]” these “divisive concepts.” The order describes such trainings as un-American, directs agency heads to audit internal training curricula and discontinue these trainings, to conduct a similar audit of federal contractors, and to suspend or deny funding to contractors and grantees whose trainings or grant-funded activities cover these topics.

“This injunction was critically important for our clients – organizations and individuals on the front line combatting COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, and the violence perpetrated against Black and Brown people by law enforcement,” said Avatara Smith-Carrington, Tyron Garner Memorial Law Fellow at Lambda Legal. “Judge Freeman saw this ban for what it is: An effort to quash the truth and sweep under the rug an honest and long overdue reckoning with structural racism and sexism in our society.

“To effectively address racial disparities in our health care and legal systems, our clients have to train people on systemic racism, sexism, and anti-LGBT bias,” Smith-Carrington added. “This is a victory for truth, science, and for the principle of services focusing on the needs of the people being impacted instead of serving the agenda of the Trump Administration.”

On November 2, Lambda Legal filed a lawsuit challenging the ban in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on behalf of a consulting company, an individual plaintiff, and six organizational plaintiffs. The organizational plaintiffs include LGBT Centers, an advocacy and service organization for LGBT seniors, and HIV/AIDS health and advocacy organizations from across the country. Lambda Legal filed its brief seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent the Trump administration from implementing the order and cutting funding for federal contractors on November 15, 2020.

The lawsuit is The Diversity Center v. Trump. Read the ruling here: https://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/legal-docs/diversity_ca_20201222_order-granting-part-nationwide-preliminary-injunction

Read more about the case here: https://www.lambdalegal.org/in-court/cases/the-diversity-center-v-trump

More about the clients is available here: https://www.lambdalegal.org/the-diversity-center-v-trump_plaintiffs

###

Contact: Tom Warnke; (c): 213-841-4503; Email: [email protected]

By Timothy Jackson, Director of Government Relations

With the reckoning of historic racial injustices and the devastating effects of a global pandemic gripping the state and the nation as a backdrop, the Illinois General Assembly gaveled into a lame duck session beginning Friday, January 8, 2021 and ending minutes before the members of the 102nd Illinois General Assembly took their oath of office on Wednesday, January 13, 2021. At the heart of this session was the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’ four pillared policy agenda to address systemic racism across Illinois. Those four pillars — criminal justice reform, violence reduction and police accountability; education and workforce development; economic access, equity and opportunity; and health care and human services — seek to remedy the racial inequities imbedded in various government and social systems.

Over the course of the lame duck session, the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus (ILBC) was able to get comprehensive bills for three of the four pillars across the finish line before the end of the special session — criminal justice reform, violence reduction and police accountability; education and workforce development; and economic access, equity and opportunity. Although the bill related to health care and human services was not passed by the legislature, AIDS Foundation Chicago (AFC) is committed to working alongside the ILBC, members of the Illinois General Assembly, the Pritzker administration and our community partners to bring about the necessary transformations to the state’s health and human services system, ensuring a more fair and just system that achieves true racial health equity for all Illinoisans and centers Black and Latinx communities most disproportionally impacted by both the HIV epidemic and the COVID-19 pandemic.

While the reforms gained through these legislative measures will have a tremendous impact in addressing racial injustices and inequities, we know that they are only first steps in righting the systemic wrongs that have directly or indirectly impacted Black and other communities of color for generations. AFC congratulates the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus for passing the following measures:

Criminal justice reform, violence reduction and police accountability, HB3653, Senate Amendment #3 (Bill Sponsors: Senator Elgie Sims & Representative Justin Slaughter): This landmark legislation addresses the need for ending mass incarceration, enacting police reform and strategically investing in the reduction of violence in Illinois communities. AFC wholeheartedly supported this bill. Specifically, this legislation accomplishes the following, among others:
- Abolishes Illinois’ cash bail system.
- Institutes pre-trial fairness where pre-trial detention is imposed only when determined that a defendant poses a specific, real and present threat. Also, all persons charged with an offense are eligible for pre-trial release, with some exceptions.
- Eliminates driver’s license suspensions due to non-payment of outstanding fines.
- Mandates that all law enforcement officers must wear body cameras.
- Places limitations on law enforcement agency participation in the U.S. Department of Defense’s 1033 program that has led to the militarization of police.
- Mandates training for law enforcement officers on use of force, crisis intervention and de-escalation, implicit bias and sensitivity to racial/ethnic minority communities.
Education and workforce development, HB2170, Senate Amendment #3 (Bill Sponsors: Senator Kimberly Lightford & Representative Carol Ammons): This sweeping legislation responds to longstanding racial inequities and disparities found in our state’s education apparatus including early childhood education, K-12 education, higher education and other forms of workforce training. Specifically, this legislation accomplishes the following, among others:
- Provides access to early intervention services.
- Creates two-year lab science and foreign language — or sign language — high school graduation requirement (beginning 2024-2025 school year).
- Creates math and English placement requirements at the state’s community colleges.
- Creates initiatives to address the teacher shortage and increase educator diversity.
- Automatically enrolls eligible high school students in advanced courses like dual credit and Advanced Placement.
- Considers goals to address the digital divide and impact of school closures on students.
- Creates a requirement for districts to provide computer literacy programs.
Economic access, equity and opportunity, SB 1480 House Amendment #2, SB1608 House Amendment #2, SB1792 House Amendment #3, & SB1980 House Amendment #2 (Bill Sponsors: Senator Christopher Belt & Representative Sonya Harper): This package of four bills seeks to remedy ongoing concerns of workplace inequities and unfair practices, wage equity, workers’ rights and consumer protection. Specifically, this legislation accomplishes the following, among others:
- Caps the annual percentage rate payday loan and car title loan lenders can place on unpaid balances at 36% instead of the astounding current rates, some as high as 400%.
- Creates a state commission to study reparations for the descendants of African American slaves.
- Prevents employers and landlords from discriminating against people with criminal records.
- Expands access to state contracts for businesses owned by people of color, women and people with disabilities.
- Includes additional racial diversity requirements in state purchasing policies.

Next, the bills will go to Governor Pritzker — who has indicated his support — for his signature.

Although final legislation related to health care and human services was not passed by the legislature, AFC was proud to submit written testimony in support of HB3840 Senate Amendment #1 and HB5548 House Amendment #1. This legislation, sponsored by Senator Mattie Hunter and Representative Camille Lilly, sought to address systemic racial injustices and improve health outcomes for Illinoisans by dramatically reforming the state’s health and human services system. The reforms outlined in legislation sought to remedy several issues AFC is supportive of including but not limited to community health worker certification, addressing maternal and infant mortality, improving access and systems for mental health and substance use treatment, requiring medical implicit bias training, and the creation of an Anti-Racism Commission.

The 2021 lame duck session of the 101st General Assembly was a flurry of activity that produced comprehensive reforms to address systemic racism in our schools, on the job and in our criminal justice system. As stated previously, AFC looks forward to working with members of the General Assembly in the 102nd session to complete the fourth pillar of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’ policy agenda related to health care and human services reform, in addition to crucial policy priorities related to telehealth, the high costs of prescription drugs, HIV decriminalization, increasing access to Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) and expanded funding for HIV/STI prevention, testing and treatment.

Moving forward, AFC remains committed to protecting the most marginalized in our communities, including people living with or vulnerable to HIV. To stay engaged in AFC’s advocacy work throughout the year, please be sure to sign up for our Mobile Action Network here.