May 25, 2007
VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
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DC Fights Back cochair Danielle Pleasant and Speak Out organizer George Kerr.
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Washington, DC, mayor Adrian Fenty may not be the AIDS crusader some had hoped for, but his administration edged closer to understanding the impact of the epidemic on his constituents last week.
On Thursday, May 17, nearly 80 people gathered at Westminster Presbyterian Church for a Speak Out sponsored by Campaign to End AIDS affiliate DC Fights Back intended to give people living with HIV/AIDS a voice in addressing the District's AIDS crisis. "It was the most diverse group I've ever seen talk about the epidemic in DC," says DC Fights Back's George Kerr. "We wanted to hear what the concerns of the community were. We didn't want to people telling the community what their needs were — they've already had that."
Kerr is referring to the somewhat controversial HIV/AIDS summit that Fenty convened last April. Fenty first had advocates worried because he promised to have the summit within 100 days of taking office, and it wasn't until the Day 91 that he made good on that promise. But the summit turned out to be invitation-only and few HIV-positive folks were included. "The first summit was filled with people you would expect to see at a country club outing," said Larry Bryant, national organizer for the Campaign to End AIDS and DC Fights Back cochair. "It's frustrating to see people sitting around in leather chairs talking about HIV. Every once in a while it's nice to hear from those who actually access the services that are being discussed."
DC Fights Back responded to Fenty's misstep by organizing last week's Speak Out, a second, unofficial, summit of people living with HIV/AIDS. Although they couldn't be reached for comment, Fenty's representatives and members of DC's HIV/AIDS Administration were on hand for the event.
Highlighting housing
Some attendees, like opening speaker and HIV-positive DC Fights Back member, Gino Dunnington, wanted to make sure that not just Fenty but national leaders understood the crisis going on in their own backyard. "If you go to Capitol Hill, they'll say, 'Aren't we doing a wonderful job in Africa?' but here in DC, we have people with AIDS struggling to stay alive in homeless shelters," he says. It is estimated that 1 in 20 residents of DC is infected with HIV. In 2005, the actual AIDS case rate was 179.2 per 100,000, compared to the U.S. average of 15 per 100,000.
Breakout session topics included housing, women's services, stigma, substance abuse, and youth and education. The youth session drew the largest crowd, with at least 30 participants. It didn't hurt that Miss District of Columbia International 2006, Rita Sinha, joined that group. Sinha, who promoted an abstinence HIV/AIDS Prevention platform during her reign compared notes with comprehensive sex-ed advocates. The housing breakout session was especially promising because participants formed a committee to draw up a housing plan to bring to the city.
Bryant thinks Fenty needs a wake-up call. "He realizes enormity of the task," he says. "But since he's been elected, he's been very hard to find." Dunnington is also passionate about ending D.C.'s AIDS emergency but less critical of Fenty. "I'm a baby-step person," Dunnington said. "I like baby steps because it shows progress."
D.C. Fights Back is planning more Speak Outs in the near future. That should thelp Fenty walk the walk on HIV/AIDS.
For more information on D.C. Fights Back go to dcfightsback.org