October 19, 2007
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS
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Color me united |
HIV/AIDS service providers and stake holders came together in Syracuse, N.Y., Tuesday for the inaugural meeting of the Communities of Color Coalition of New York State, which is a composed of community-based groups that serve communities of color (COC) in the state. The coalition's main goals are to develop an annual advocacy agenda based on the concerns of coalition members, mobilize and educate leaders in COC, enhance access for COCs to public policy and resource allocation and to "serve as advocates for frontline agencies in their daily war on HIV/AIDS in New York State."
The group was formed because "resources for small community based organizations serving people of color are dwindling and the resources that are available are being redirected to clinic based settings which are limited in their cultural competency," according to the Communities of Color official literature. Rather than fighting among themselves for the limited funds, group members—including Action for a Better Community, American Indian Community House, Group Ministries, Inc., Grupo Ministerial De Oeste De Buffalo, MOCHA Project, Inc, and Native American Community Services—want to unite smaller frontline service providers with budgets under $1 million and help them advocate to keep resources in the communities that they serve.
The working lunch also served as an open call to other "small" community based organizations to come on board with the coalition. Seasoned lobbyist and staff from the Department of Health AIDS Institute spoke to attendees about trends in the state and how the coalition could be most effective, and participants were eager to brainstorm possibilities for collaboration. Coalition chair Michael Martin (Executive Director of Native American Community Services) and co-chair Reverend Arthur H. Boyd (President and CEO of Group Ministries, Inc.) spoke of the need they saw in their respective communities that eventually brought them together to form the coalition. The Communities of Color Coalition of New York State's tagline is "Your Venue to Expand Resources." And together, there is only room to grow.
For more information contact Paula Acala Rosner at 716-539-1835, or prosner@groupministriesbuffalo.com.