The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) lauds the justice received for the murder of 17-year-old, Laquan McDonald. Nearly four years after the fatal shooting was caught on video, Van Dyke was found guilty on two counts of second-degree murder, sixteen counts of aggravated battery, and not guilty on one count of official misconduct. Van Dyke shot 16 bullets at Laquan...
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The National Female Condom Coalition gratefully welcomes news today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration moved forward with recommended changes to regulations for the female condom, a sexual health device that protects against STIs including HIV. The FDA’s Sept. 27 release in the Federal Register (Volume 83, Number 188) announces three significant changes to how these devices...
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The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) strongly denounces the Trump administration’s latest attempt to destroy the lives and health of immigrants to the U.S. The administration recently announced an intent to expand the list of criteria that will render someone unable to apply for a green card or change their immigration status. Under the proposed rules, people who do not have...
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By Raven Feagins
McHenry, Illinois, has been Jamie Braxton's home since she was 8 years old. She loves the familiarity that living in a smaller city brings (McHenry has a population of 26,600). Jamie (pictured at left, in center) grew up in a two-parent household, regularly attended church and describes her upbringing as overall normal. In 1995, when she was 33 years old, she even began...
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On Friday, Sept. 21, 2018, the Office of the Mayor in the City of Chicago issued a proclamation in recognition of the International Day of Bisexual Visibility. This important holiday was created by three bisexual activists in 1999 to celebrate bisexual people in the face of invisibility and stigma.
“There is definitely a need for the holiday,” said longtime bisexual community...
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The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) is gravely disheartened to learn about the Trump Administration’s plans to redirect $266 million earmarked for social services pay for the detention of children separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border. The funding includes $9.5 million for HIV programs.
While the Trump administration has the authority to transfer funds among programs,...
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By Earl Fowlkes
The HIV/AIDS pandemic has been with us since 1981 and I have worked in the HIV/AIDS prevention and care field since the mid-80s as a caregiver, volunteer, service provider and administrator. I have often referred to those days as the “time of darkness,” as an HIV diagnosis meant pain and heartache, both physical as well as emotional, as there were very few medicines...
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Chris Wade is more than just your average HIV advocate.
His longstanding work and organizing in downstate Illinois contribute to education and advocacy for the rights of people living with HIV. He attended the 2018 HIV is Not a Crime National Training Academy (HINAC 3) back in June in Indianapolis, Ind., which trained advocates from all over the nation to talk about...
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Avery Matthew grew up in Sterling Heights, Michigan, and moved to Chicago 11 years ago. “I was starving for diversity, things to do, culture, museums,” they said.
“A lot of my growth and identification was defined in Chicago.” Avery works in Accounting and Finance recruiting for a management consulting firm. They also support passion projects like serving on the...
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The day-to-day operations of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago focus on improving access to services for people living with and vulnerable to HIV and other chronic illnesses; this vision emerges from AFC’s 27-person Board of Directors . These community leaders bring a variety of skills and interests to cast the vision for the organization and lead it in achieving its mission. In 2018, the...
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