January 11, 2008
Nothing Could be Finer...
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Myrtle Beach: A beautiful place for an AIDS rally |
C2EA members from more than a dozen states, including Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and New York, as well as the District of Columbia, plan to attend the Myrtle Beach rally.
"During the period that South Carolina is the focus of the '08 presidential campaign, we want the Democratic candidates to speak out and recommit to taking the steps necessary to end the AIDS epidemic right here in our state, across the U.S., and around the world," says Karen Bates, the openly HIV-positive co-chair of the Campaign to End AIDS/South Carolina (C2EA-SC).
South Carolinians suffer disproportionately from HIV/AIDS, and the state has one of the highest death rates from AIDS in the nation. As recently as last May, the state had over 500 residents on a waiting list for AIDS medication, and several died while waiting for treatment.
In response, C2EA-SC led a successful effort hwupdate.org/update/2007/06/south_carolina_adap_victory.html to persuade the South Carolina Legislature to contribute millions of dollars to help poor South Carolinians living with HIV/AIDS get access to treatment. C2EA-SC has also helped to develop leadership among people living with HIV/AIDS to speak on issues that connect us locally, regionally and nationally on important HIV/AIDS issues.
Four demands for the candidates
The Rally to End AIDS will include HIV/AIDS speakers from Georgia, Louisiana, Tennessee, South Carolina and Virginia and will bring C2EA's four demands to the presidential candidates at the Myrtle Beach debate. Those demands are:
- Worldwide access to quality healthcare and supportive services for people living with HIV/AIDS — including in the U.S.
- Ramped up HIV prevention at home and abroad, based on science and not political ideology
- Expanded research to find a cure, more effective treatments and better overall prevention tools
- A commitment to fighting AIDS stigma and to protections guaranteeing the civil rights of all people living with HIV/AIDS
The day will include: breakfast/gathering for the caravan riders; basic training on talking to candidates, media and the public; and opportunities to join other debate-related activities.
The Campaign to End AIDS is a national network of people living with HIV/AIDS and their allies working to develop the political will to end the AIDS epidemic. C2EA is known for its short-notice activist car-caravan actions. Last September dozens of C2EA members from around the country received widespread attention when they converged on Silver Hill, Alabama to protest hwupdate.org/update/2007/09/sweet_home_alabama.html an incident involving an HIV-positive toddler barred from an RV park swimming pool.
For more information on participating in a caravan or attending the Rally to End AIDS, contact Larry Bryant at bryant2@housingworks.org or 202-408-0305.