Edward Lowry is a 57-year-old African American man and US Army Veteran who was diagnosed with HIV in 1998. Eddie received his formal training in advocacy from Philadelphia FIGHT’s adult health literacy program known as Project TEACH in 2003.
Eddie began his advocacy around ensuring quality healthcare for people living with HIV who were incarcerated. Soon after, Eddie would become a member of ACT-UP Philly where his advocacy broadened to include LGBT and all marginalized groups of people along the social justice spectrum. Currently, Eddie works in the field of mental health. Employed by Project Home’s Gloria Casarez Resident, where he is a mentor to LGBT youth guiding them toward self-sufficiency. Eddie provides support for community members diagnosed with HIV or AIDS, mental health disorders and substance abuse. He continues to support formerly incarcerated community members with re-entry service support.
Working on HIV criminalization with the SERO Project, Eddie has attended and presented at HIV is Not a Crime Academy and is member of the local PA Work Group to Avert HIV criminalization in partnership with the AIDS Law Project-PA. Aligned with Positive Women’s Network- Pennsylvania Chapter, Eddie is the co-founder and facilitator of an advocacy support group for heterosexual men living with HIV known as Phila Positive Men’s Initiative. That group continues to meet at the Institute for Community Justice. As a former member of CHAMP {Community HIV AIDS Mobilization Project], Eddie has had the opportunity to travel to South Africa on two occasions providing trainings in HIV Prevention Justice.
Eddie and AIDS Activist, Waheedah Shabazz-El, have been married for nearly 10 years.