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September 29, 2006
AIDSVOTE UNFURLING THROUGHOUT SOUTH CAROLINA
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Karen Bates and Charles King instigated impassioned conversations on AIDS at the Brookland Baptist Church in South Carolina last week. |
Last week, the South Carolina airwaves crackled with the AIDSVote message: universal access by 2010- and immediate attention to the state's serious HIV/AIDS epidemic by every elected official at every level of government.
Local radio stations followed the AIDSVote barnstorming tour as it caught up with local activist Stephanie Bates, co-chairwoman of South Carolina-Campaign to End AIDS (SC-C2EA), for a town hall meeting at Brookland Baptist Church on Wednesday, September 20. An impassioned and dedicated group, including the church's AIDS-care group, gathered to talk about leveraging the up-coming elections.
South Carolina's HIV prevalence is 10th in the nation - it's 26th in population - with three-quarters of newly diagnosed HIV cases hitting African-Americans. Over 200 people living with AIDS in South Carolina are on an ADAP waiting list for life-saving HIV medications they cannot afford. State officials say they may stop taking names if they can't find more money for ADAP.
In response, SC-C2EA is building a fearsome network to hold elected officials accountable for long-standing political neglect of HIV/AIDS in the state. Through radio and events, SC-C2EA is reaching out to all kinds of folks around the state who may not have had AIDS on their radar.
Representatives of the School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, women's faith-based support groups, and some political activists have all taken AIDSVote petitions and posters back to their communities.
Earlier this month, Bates brought this important political conversation about AIDS to a statewide health fair at the South Carolina state museum.
"Different providers had booths there; organizations and information on cancer and sickle cell as well as AIDS," she said. "The state had a booth for voter registration. I approached them with a stack of petitions in my hands and talking about AIDSVote. Even they said they heard about our event on the radio. These weren't 'AIDS people'; this wasn't an 'AIDS program.' And they had heard the spot, remembered it, and associated it with us."
Bates hopes these sorts of conversations are platforms for broader change. "The problem here is a lot bigger than just ADAP – it is healthcare for people with HIV. More than that, we should be working for healthcare in general for all people," she said.