HIV Prevention Justice Alliance (HIV-PJA) started 11 years ago with the “radical notice” that all people should be treated equitably, and all people deserve social justice. This 13,000-person network was born intentions to unite advocates across the country to address the intersections of HIV/AIDS and economic, racial and social justice.
We are saddened to announce that...
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Brandon
My name is Brandon Strawn, and I pride myself on being an educator, a musician and a delight. In 2005, I came out as gay, and in 2009, I had my first HIV test. At this point in my life, I was a fairly chaste first-year teacher who spent his days teaching and his nights preparing for more teaching. So when the test came back positive, I was shocked and devastated. ...
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Thousands of low-income, vulnerable Illinoisans are being incorrectly and wrongfully terminated from Medicaid because of computer glitches, but Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration refuses to share accurate and comprehensive data on how big the problem is.
Today, the AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) took a step to remedy this withholding of rightfully public information...
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By Raven Feagins
Hataria James is an outgoing, loving mother of 6 with a passion for giving back to her community. While she is in an incredibly stable place in her life right now, 16 years ago she would have never imagined where she is at today.
Hataria currently works at Men & Women in Prison Ministries (MWIPM) , an organization dedicated to supporting the health, wellness...
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By Ashley Brown
If you are on Medicaid in Illinois and have hepatitis C, be prepared to wait — potentially decades — for treatment. Illinois has a D-minus rating from the Hepatitis C State of Medicaid Access , the fifth lowest in the nation. Why such a low score? For one, Illinois Medicaid will only treat patients once they reach stage three or four of liver disease (the most...
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The Department of Defense released the “Deploy or Get Out!” policy, effective Oct. 1, which directs the Pentagon to discharge service members who can’t be deployed outside of the U.S. for more than 12 consecutive months. Due to an antiquated policy dating back to the early days of the epidemic, service members living with HIV are considered non-deployable. An estimated 1,200...
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By Rae Colyer
My name is Rae Colyer, and I am the youngest of twelve. Out of all my siblings, I happen to be closest with Marlin Jr., my eldest brother (he’s got fifteen and half years on me)! Both of us identify as queer individuals; me as a genderqueer pansexual, he as a gay man. If it were not for his guidance, and his own trials and tribulations coming out, I have no idea where...
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By Clair Daney
This spring, Baltimore made headlines as a federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to restore $5 million in grant funding it had withheld without explanation from two local evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention programs.
This story has been a single outgrowth amid the Trump administration’s broader push to eliminate science-based,...
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By Isabella Guzman
I was invited and inspired by my uncle, Armando Ramirez, whom I love very much, to participate in AIDS Run & Walk Chicago 6 years ago. He was diagnosed with HIV 14 years ago. All I knew at that time was that I was going to be supportive and have fun with my mom and uncles. I would get my own shirt and my own running number and that was exciting in itself!
My...
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By Raven Feagins
“Imagine putting on multiple hats with each call you receive. Sometimes I’m the person that clients call to laugh and joke with, but oftentimes I’m the person they’re reaching out to because they’re in a crisis. Often, my team and I are the sole individuals that a caller has disclosed their HIV status to at the time of their...
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