February 23, 2007
FAMILY MEETING
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'Now is our time': BLCA's Fraser-Howze |
At times it felt like a church service and at times it felt like a policy seminar, but at last week's Black Leadership Commission on AIDS "town hall meeting" in Albany, the spotlight stayed squarely on HIV/AIDS and its impact on communities of color.
Participants agreed that this year's gathering—hosted by the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (BLCA) during Caucus Weekend, the annual conference of legislators of color in Albany—was the best one in over a decade. The event mixed emotional personal testimony, powerful statements of faith, and principled political proposals.
About 75 people from around the state—including delegations from LifeForce, BLCA and Housing Works—turned out early Saturday morning for a two-hour discussion of HIV/AIDS politics and policy, with a particular focus on the needs of Black and Latino communities.
Debra Fraser-Howze, president & CEO of BLCA, led the session, which featured a range of high-powered legislators including Hon. Daryl Towns, chair of the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus and longtime AIDS champion.
Topics ranged from the political (criticism of Gov. Eliot Spitzer for failure to include any Blacks among his top health and human services staff) to the personal (testimony from women and men living with HIV/AIDS and those who have lost family members.)
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Daryl Towns: Caucus Chair, AIDS Champion |
Hot topics: the need for communities of faith to deal with HIV/AIDS, homosexuality, men who have sex with men and the 'down low' in a productive way; HIV testing, diagnosis and treatment; AIDS stigma in communities of color; and the need for new resources for health care, housing, legal services and basic education in communities of color hard-hit by the epidemic.
Fraser-Howze said, "We must acknowledge our differences, and then move forward to achieve everything we can agree on" in advocacy; she also said that the current political environment, with "friends in high places" including Governor Spitzer and high-powered Black and Latino leaders in Congress "is something we can't let pass us by—now is our time."
Housing Works was happy to be in the house, and we salute Ms. Fraser-Howze, Dee Bailey and the BLCA staff and board, Latino Commission on AIDS chief Dennis deLeon, Assembly Members Daryl Towns & Crystal Peoples and all the other participants who made the morning so memorable.