By Cotrell Loftin
Jessica Glaspie and I met in a small Starbucks in Mundelein, IL, on a Sunday morning shortly after I returned to Chicago on a 6-hour overnight bus trip. The precious caffeine helped fuel both my energy and an incredible conversation. In recognition of National Women's and Girls' HIV & AIDS Awareness Day, Glaspie, a powerful advocate featured in a prior Inside...
Read more...
By Sara Semelka and Pamela Tassin
1. Women’s experiences with HIV are unique, powerful and important
About 1 in 4 people living with HIV in the United States are women and 19% of the new HIV infections in the U.S. in 2014 were among women . Despite this, women are still often left out of conversations about HIV. HIV has impacted women since the...
Read more...
By LeSherri James
LeSherri is an HIV advocate living in Chicago and a Mobile Engagement Team Member for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
In 2003, I was pregnant, homeless, and HIV-positive. But worst of all, I felt completely helpless and had nowhere to turn for help. I received my diagnosis after my senior year of high school. In college, I thought I might be pregnant. I...
Read more...
Despite the uncertainty of the ACA's future and fear about the new administration’s discriminatory policies, AFC’s case managers stay committed to providing the quality care clients need.
By Cotrell Loftin
Mara Williamson is standing outside the conference room, warmly greeting people as they enter. “Good morning and welcome to the training. Don’t...
Read more...
This article highlights the successes the AIDS Foundation of Chicago achieved in 2016. Read more about our work in our Annual Report .
Hear from AFC's boldest voices for change as they describe their fight in 2016:
We are AIDS advocates. We FIGHT BACK. We fight for women to be treated with respect. We fight for Black lives, trans lives,...
Read more...
This article highlights the successes the AIDS Foundation of Chicago achieved in 2016. Read more about our work in our Annual Report .
On a brisk January evening, the leaders of several Chicago-area HIV organizations arrive, after a long day of work, at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s conference room to tackle some of the questions that will determine the fate of their organizations...
Read more...
This article highlights the successes the AIDS Foundation of Chicago achieved in 2016. Read more about our work in our Annual Report .
In the heart of the near South Side, The Village – University of Chicago Medicine, is poised to end the HIV epidemic, one call, tingle and appointment at a time. The Village, a project of the Chicago Center for HIV Elimination, is home...
Read more...
This article highlights the successes the AIDS Foundation of Chicago achieved in 2016. Read more about our work in our Annual Report .
Glenn Baker is a 44-year-old Chicago native who currently works doing food prep for a catering company. He has a very calm demeanor, tends to keep to himself and is even self-described as anti-social. However, Baker's magnetic personality...
Read more...
by Briana Shields
Briana Shields is a former graphic design intern and current volunteer for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
I marched in the Women’s March on Chicago for the generations of girls of color to come. Young women need to see that the world is big and full of variety. Now, we’re needed more than ever.
When you’re a young woman of color,...
Read more...
By Aaron Voldman
Aaron Voldman is a SSI/SSDI Outreach, Access and Recovery Specialist at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.
In a sea of pink-hatted protesters and clever protest signs, I reached toward the metal beams of a Washington, D.C. street light on Independence Avenue and like a Cubs fan after the World Series win I climbed to the top of the street light. Sitting on top of the...
Read more...
