Who Benefits from Minority AIDS Initiative (MAI) Funding?

In 1998 African Americans surpassed White people as the population with the largest number of new cases of HIV.  After the data was released, 30 Black leaders met with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to demand action.  The effort was led by Dr. Beny Primm, then board chair of NMAC.  He had NMAC’s Director of Government Relations, Miguelina Maldonado, work with the Congressional Black Caucus, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional A/PI Caucus to create the Minority AIDS Initiative (MAI).  The goal for the MAI was to build the infrastructure of minority-led community-based nonprofits to minimize the racial divide in HIV health outcomes for African Americans and all people of color.
After 20 years of MAI funding, which communities benefited the most?
From 1998 to 2018, African Americans with HIV went from 39 percent of the cases in 1998 to 41 percent of the cases in 2018.  White people went from 40 percent of the cases in 1998 to 29 percent of the cases in 2018.  The Latinx community went from 19.5 percent of the cases to 23 percent in 2018.  Asians went from 0.78 percent to 1.5 percent of the cases.  American Indians/Alaska Natives stayed level at 0.3 percent.  After 20 years of MAI and other funding, only the White community saw a significant decrease in HIV cases.

That outcome speaks directly to the question the Biden/Harris administration is trying to unpack with the Executive Order looking at racial equity across all government programs: to not just look at how race impacts access and funding, but also how to make the system fair.  They are seeking community input on how to make this happen.

Per an email from the White House:

“Through the Office of Management and Budget, the Biden-Harris administration is soliciting input from stakeholders in the public, private, advocacy, not-for-profit, and philanthropic sectors, including State, local, Tribal, and territorial areas.  This request for information (RFI) seeks answers to dozens of questions critical to the administration’s efforts to advance equity, including how agencies can address known burdens or barriers to accessing benefits programs in their assessments of benefits delivery, and what practices agencies should put in place to reach rural areas and communities that might not be able to visit Washington, D.C., to engage directly with policymakers.

“A link to the RFI can be found at: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/05/05/2021-09109/methods-and-leading-practices-for-advancing-equity-and-support-for-underserved-communities-through

“Responses are due: Tuesday, July 6, 2021”

I believe the White House understands the system is unfair.  The challenge is how to fix it. NMAC hopes you will respond to this RFI and write about your solutions. As we get ready to prepare our response, I will share our journey.  This question is core to NMAC’s mission.  How do we change the structural racism that is baked into the federal government?
Yours in the struggle,
Paul Kawata
NMACPaul Kawata

NMAC Announces Aging Mini-Grant Awardees!

 

Today, NMAC is honored to announce the recipients of the 2017 HIV 50+ Strong & Healthy Mini-Grant Program. The mini grant program allows our 2017 USCA HIV 50+ scholars to get involved in their community by developing and implementing a project to educate and engage HIV 50+ community members who need to connect with other peers. The grantees are affiliated with an organization that will act as the fiscal sponsor for the grant. NMAC understands that our movement needs leaders who are living with the virus. Our HIV 50+ scholars have important lessons to share with our HIV community.

Fourteen applications were awarded up to $2,500 in the categories of community education, community outreach, and community engagement.  The grantees and the projects are:

  1. Robert Riester, Aurora CO, “From the Past by Our Future” a storyteller videos project.
  2. Dean Edward, Columbia, SC, “Engage to Lead” a project of engagement of HIV 50 Men.
  3. Nancy Shearer, Santa Monica, CA, “Positive Singles Mixer” a project to empower people living with HIV to expand their social networks, reducing feelings of stigma and isolation.
  4. Michael G. Smith, Santa Fe, NM, “Phoenix Rising 2.0” a project to enhance and encourage financial stability.
  5. Erik Jannke, Palm Spring, CA, “Manual on HIV & Aging” an explanatory manual on HIV & Aging.
  6. Cynthia Marker, Lakeside, CA, “Fellow Advocate Mentorship (FAM)” a project to increase health literacy, self-efficacy, and social support networks among women living with HIV who are 50+.
  7. Randal Lucero, Albuquerque, NM, “50 + Healthy and Strong Summit” a project to bring community leaders, 50 + individuals living with HIV and their allies together to improve the lives of older adults living with HIV.
  8. Lilibeth Gonzalez, New York, NY, “Thriving at 50 and Beyond” a full-day community education event for 50 HIV-positive people aged 50 or older.
  9. Teresa Sullivan, Philadelphia, PA, “Sister to Sister: Women of Color Long Term – Survivors Building Our Voices of Resilience” a project to provide interactive educational sessions, on health and wellness to Women of color over fifty years old and living with HIV and end self- isolation.
  10. Rob Quinn, Boston, MA, ““Healthy Aging with HIV Community Wellness Day” a one-day weekend event targeting holistic health services, resources, and education for PLWH 50+ and Long-Term Survivor.
  11. Bryan Jones, Cleveland, OH, “Building leader for tomorrow among people of color” a project to instill purpose in those over 50 to empower those under 35 who are not engaged in planning bodies or decision-making opportunities.
  12. Jesus Guillen, San Francisco, CA, “The Chronicles of the Phoenix” a project to educate, engage and entertain.
  13. Jennifer Chang, Los Angeles, CA, “Puppy Love” a communal meet-and-greet, and dog-walking event for 50+ survivors of HIV/AIDS who are otherwise socially isolated.
  14. Esther Ross, Greenville, NC,” ‘Leaders Advocating and Mentoring other leaders for Personal growth and Support (LAMPS)” a project to educate persons of Color living with HIV over the age of 50 to mentor, train and support one other peer.

NMAC is very excited to be able to fund these projects and look forward to a fruitful collaboration. Successful projects will be showcased at the 2018 USCA. NMAC wants to thank Gilead for their support of these mini-grants. We can change the world and end the epidemic as we support and build community in the over 50-year-old people living with HIV.

Yours in the Struggle,

Moisés Agosto-Rosario
(202) 836-3669
Director of Treatment

It Broke My Heart

Like many of you, I watched the weekend’s events unfold in Charlottesville with great sadness and disbelief.  White supremacists believe that the color of their skin gives them a privilege in our society.  They hold on to symbols like the swastika and the confederate flag to reaffirm their false narrative that being white makes them superior.

Most of us understand that these beliefs are wrong, vile, and un-American.  Yet the consequences of America’s racial divide are very real.  We are fighting an epidemic where black women are 20 times more likely to get HIV than white women.  Gay men of color, particularly black gay men, are the largest number of people living with HIV in America.  Eighty percent of transgender women diagnosed with HIV were African-American or Latina. Diagnoses among Latino MSM increased 13 percent from 2010 to 2014.

We understand that your skin color does not make you superior, so why and how does your skin color impact your health outcomes?

Our movement talks about the social determinants of health as a way to tiptoe around discussions about race.  Maybe it’s easier to talk about poverty, unemployment, or a lack of education.  NMAC believes those conditions exist because of racism.  Until we address race, racism, and its impact on our nation’s health, we will never end the HIV epidemic in America.

Dr. David Williams from Harvard University will speak at the opening plenary of this year’s United States Conference on AIDS.  Dr. Williams has done some of the definitive work on race and health.  NMAC also invited the People’s Institute to present their ground-breaking teachings on Undoing Racism.  In fact, there is a whole pathway on race.   It’s not enough to be culturally sensitive; the movement needs to understand race and privilege and their impact on health.  It’s time to get rid of our fear of talking about race by talking about race.

We must not shy away.  Whether we want to have it or not, this conversation is happening and sometimes in very destructive ways.  Our movement must lead on race in order for us to end the HIV epidemic.

Yours in the struggle,

Paul Kawata