OVER A DOZEN AIDS ACTIVISTS BLOCK RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF
U.S. CONSULATE DURING INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE Demand Universal Access for All People Living with AIDS
TORONTO, August 16, 2006 - At about 9:00 a.m. today, fifteen AIDS activists temporarily shut down southbound traffic on University Avenue in front of the United States Consulate General by forming a human chain to protest the lack of a commitment from the U.S. to ending the AIDS pandemic during the week of the International Conference on AIDS. Demonstrators decried the lack of international progress since the 2001 and 2006 United Nations General Assembly Special Session on AIDS declarations to fight AIDS around the world.
In a colorful display of bright orange t-shirts with an emblazoned message directed at politicians to “End AIDS Now," people living with HIV/AIDS, students and dozens of activists from New York City-based Housing Works joined together to deliver a five-foot high signed demand letter and to rally outside of the U.S. Consulate during the blocking of traffic by over a dozen protesters.
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Posted by keith on 08/16 at 03:57 PM
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Black America Must Confront AIDS
BLACK AMERICA MUST CONFRONT AIDS
By Julian Bond
Monday, August 14, 2006
It’s been 25 years since we first learned of a disease that was killing a handful of white, gay men in a few of our nation’s largest cities—a disease that later became known as AIDS. But lulled by media images that portrayed AIDS mainly as a white, gay disease, we looked the other way: Those people weren’t our people. AIDS was not our problem. It had not entered our house.
We had our own problems to deal with, so we let those people deal with their problem. But that was a quarter-century ago, and a lot has changed. Now, in 2006, almost 40 million people worldwide have HIV, and 25 million are dead. And most of those who have died and are dying are black. That’s not just because of the devastation the pandemic has wreaked upon Africa.
The face of AIDS in the United States is primarily… (more)
Posted by keith on 08/16 at 03:14 PM
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Thursday, August 10, 2006
AIDS Vote 2006 Kick Off
We are excited. Antonia is on fire. She alone signed up 800+. We recieved phone calls most of the day while putting info and preparing to leave. We started our drive and after one stop, we were rained out. Over-all it was a learning experience. Lost several pictures, just learning how to use my digital camera. Keep on keeping on!
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Posted by keith on 08/10 at 04:17 PM
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Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Voterization Project of the National Low Income Housing Coalition
Voterization 2006 “We believe that housing for all people is a priority. Our vote is our voice. We will not be silenced.” Voterization 2006, a program of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, is an effort engage traditionally underrepresented people in the civic process. Working with nonprofit housing organizations across the country, we seek to register, educate and mobilize low income and homeless people to vote on November 7, 2006 and in elections to come. In 2004, more than 550 affordable housing groups across the country registered and mobilized thousands of underrepresented people. In 2006, advocates are set to build on these efforts. Please join us! http://www.nlihc.org/VOTE/
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Posted by keith on 08/08 at 07:03 AM
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Wednesday, August 02, 2006
C2EA Rhode Island In The House!
The Campaign to End AIDS/Rhode Island packed dozens of women—and a couple of guys—into AIDS Project Rhode Island on a sweltering afternoon to talk about front-burner state issues AND C2EA/RI’s new AIDSVote project. Folks are working on building electoral advocacy coalitions with AIDS service providers and other groups, developing a state platform, petitions, and holding a town meeting on AIDSVote. And there’s talk of rollling out street petitioning and bird-dogging in the weeks ahead. Keep an eye on B2EA—the Blog to End AIDS—for more on RI and other AIDSVote efforts in the coming days.
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Posted by Michael Kink on 08/02 at 05:04 AM
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Tuesday, August 01, 2006
Candidate Questionnaires
AIDSVoters – Check out the “candidate outreach” page (http://www.aidsvote.org/candidate.html) for the latest information and tools to design your own HIV/AIDS candidate questionnaire in your city or state. Regional AIDS organizations such as the AIDS Foundation of Chicago have been doing projects like this for a while (see: http://www.aidschicago.org/advocacy/candidate_questionnaire.php). Through AIDSVote, we hope to spur outreach to local, county, state, and federal candidates nationwide.
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Posted by keith on 08/01 at 08:16 PM
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“Intro to AIDSVote” Conference Call Today
JOIN US FOR A NATIONAL CONFERENCE CALL TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW TO MAKE HIV/AIDS AN ISSUE IN THIS YEAR’S ELECTION CAMPAIGNS Join AIDS advocates and activists from around the country for a one-hour conference call to learn more about AIDSVote.org and the 2006 AIDSVote campaign. TUESDAY AUGUST 1 * 4PM EDT - 3PM CDT - 2PM MDT - 1PM PDT 888-765-3648 code 903358 AIDSVote is a candidate education and voter education project working to make sure * candidates for public office know what it takes to end AIDS * voters who care about ending AIDS know where the candidates stand on our issues. AIDSVote tools at www.aidsvote.org include * Simple demands and a model “gold standard” platform that can be adapted to federal, state and local elections * “How-to” brochures to help local activists meet with candidates, educate them on the issues, measure their commitment and publicize the results, along with model questionnaires * Voter registration and mobilization materials to make sure our community has an impact in this election * Signs, posters, and a “rally in a can” kit to raise the visibility of AIDS issues at campaign and civic events * National conference calls to explain how… (more)
Posted by Michael Kink on 08/01 at 08:07 PM
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Thursday, July 27, 2006
AIDSVote Kicks Off in Washington
GLOBAL AND DOMESTIC AIDS ACTIVISTS LAUNCH AIDSVOTE.ORG
National grassroots network aims to put HIV/AIDS on 2006 election agenda and clarify candidate stances on key AIDS issues - “Universal Access” held as key to end of AIDS
Leaders of the global and domestic AIDS activist movements announced the start of a new nationwide candidate and voter education initiative - AIDSVote.org—in Washington today.
AIDSVote.org (www.aidsvote.org) is a non-partisan initiative meant to put HIV/AIDS on the election agenda, educate candidates and voters on AIDS issues, and clarify candidates’ stances on policies that will decide whether the AIDS epidemic grows or slows - or even ends—in coming years.
“Public action is the key to ending AIDS,” said Frank Oldham, director of the National Association of People with AIDS. “The United Nations has called for universal access to prevention, treatment care and support by 2010, and we’ll only get there if every candidate and every voter knows what’s necessary to save lives - and acts on that knowledge.”
Organizers said the federal, statewide and local 2006 elections will play a major… (more)
Posted by keith on 07/27 at 08:24 PM
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