Transcripts For CSPAN Policy 20240706 : vimarsana.com

A number of policy advocates discussed the intersection of hivaids and race and the importance of the Minority Aids Initiative during Johns Hopkins universitys World Aids Day conference in washington, d. C. It was spearheaded by congresswoman Maxine Waters and the Congressional Black Caucus in 1998. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the Johns Hopkins bloomberg center. Im the vice provost of Faculty Diversity and a professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Im absolutely excited about the time we will spend together today. This is the first of a series of events we will have for the Health Opportunities for policy equity or what we call the hope challenge. We are excited about todays excuse me we are excited about todays panel that we are going to have and i want to first start off by saying we appreciate the generous support from Johns Hopkins university and i also want to start out by appreciating all the people who have worked behind the scenes to bring us where we are today. We will start this morning with a welcome from the leaders of the two of the four named partners of the events. Our partners are the Congressional Black Caucus foundation, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus institute. First up, we will hear from my friend whos a professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health and he directs the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities solutions. Dr. Gaskin is a Health Economist who addresses programs that reduce Health Disparities. He will then be followed by the executive director of a nonprofit that seeks to normalize discussions about race in the hiv movement while fighting for Health Equity and Racial Justice in america. Founded in 1987, it is working to bend the curve of new hiv diagnoses while ensuring those who are living with hiv receive the ongoing care they need. As executive director, paul works with his board and staff to set the Strategic Direction and overseas the training, Technical Assistance for the program. Additionally, he develops many highprofile meetings including the United States congress on aids, the largest annual aidsrelated gathering in the country. Lets give a warm round of applause. [applause] so, thank you for that very kind introduction. Good morning, everyone. Welcome to a gathering that is all about making a difference. I could not be more thrilled to call this our first hope challenge with you and then anothers very special day, which is World Aids Day. Today, we are going to be diving into a topic that is not just relevant, but also timely. Hiv and the politics of race, the Minority Aids Initiative at 25. This gathering is not just presentations and stimulating conversation, but more importantly it is a call to action. So fasten your seatbelts, because we are embarking on a journey to really try to change lives. At the heart of the hope challenge mission is a clear and compelling desire and need to create a brighter and healthier and more equitable future for all. We are talking about improving national prosperity, cutting down health care costs, ensuring that everyone enjoys good health and thriving community. How . By leveraging the power of Public Policy to eliminate those glaring racial and ethnic Health Disparities that should not exist in our society. Let me be plain, we have a problem on our hands. Too many people suffer from Preventable Health conditions. This is not just a National Health crisis, it is a National Economic crisis. It is literally dragging down our nations standard of living. Preventable Health Conditions are robbing us of precious years , dampening our productivity, and adding unnecessary and Excessive Health care costs. Unfortunately, the brunt of this burden falls disproportionately on our fellow citizens who identifies africanamerican, hispanic, native american, alaskan native, Asian Americans, pacific islanders, and the lgbtqia plus community. However, there is good news. We are not just here to lament the problems, we are here to talk about solutions. This is why the Johns Hopkins center along with our partners, the National Minority aids council, the Congressional Black Caucus foundation, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus institute has convened this gathering today. I want to thank the Johns Hopkins University Awards program and the professorship for their support of the hope challenge breakfast for him here at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg University Johns Hopkins bloomberg center. Our goal is to shine a spotlight on the 25th anniversary of the Minority Aids Initiative, a policy intervention that was way ahead of its time thanks to congresswoman Maxine Waters who championed it into existence in 1998. A Health Equity policy before the term Health Equity was invoked. The Minority Aids Initiative was thought to address hiv disparities in communities of color. Today, we are going to dissect its impact and figure out how we can supercharge it and other policies so we can finally end hiv disparities. But that is not all. We have something extra special in store for you. We have cnn commentator and Political Insider Jamaal Simmons who will lead a fireside chat with some of our nations legal wizards. The chap will dive headfirst into the antiwoke movement, what it is all about, and what it means for our mission. We will be unpacking the Supreme Courts recent decisions on affirmative action and other legal maneuvers that seek to block interventions aimed at closing those stubborn gaps in health, wealth, and education. The best part, we are going to lift up potential policy solutions that may safeguard the future of these critical Health Equity interventions. This is about Health Equity. Im reminded of a poem by langston hughes. I too sing america. I am the darker brother. They send me to eat in the kitchen when company comes. But i laugh and eat well and grow strong. Tomorrow, i will be at the table when company comes. Nobody will dare say to me, eat in the kitchen. Then besides they will see how beautiful i am and be ashamed. I too am america. Health equity recognizes that all of us have a right to sit at the american table and enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Health equity insists our society implement policies and programs in such a way that everyone has a low risk of contracting hiv and if some do, they can live long, healthy, and productive lives. Unfortunately, our initial efforts to halt the transition of the disease and care for People Living with hiv were not benefiting everyone. Racial and ethnic minority communities were being left behind. The Minority Aids Initiative introduced the concept of Health Equity in the nations effort to address hivaids pandemic. Asking our decisionmakers to incorporate Health Equity in their policies and programs is merely asking them to follow the golden rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In other words, treat no one as though they deserve less than you and those in your community. Even if you perceive someone as the other, make sure your policies and programs are as effective for them as they are for you. The golden rule standard in our policy and programs insists that our policies and programs be effective for all of us. So, welcome your brothers and sisters to the american table because they too sing america. Sit back, but dont just sit there, be ready to engage, share your brilliance, and help us pave the way toward a society where everyone regardless of their background gets a fair shot at being healthy and living a prosperous life. Today, i want to thank you all for being here and together we will turn the tide on disparities and make Health Equity a reality. Im now pleased to turn it over to our event partner, the executive director of the National Minority aids council. [applause] i am it is World Aids Day today. I moved to washington in 1985 to fight an epidemic that was killing people that i loved. In 1989, i became the executive director of a small National Minority organization and i have been the executive director for 34 years. [applause] thats probably older than many of the students sitting in this room and so i just want you to know how glad i am to see you all here. I want to start by thanking hopkins university. Look at this beautiful space we are in. When we first started this work, organizations like mine would never be invited into beautiful spaces like this, so it is such an honor and a privilege to be standing in front of you in this extraordinary space. I want to thank dr. Cummings for getting us here. Look at this. Look at this. Look at this for a second. One of these tables is not like the other, folks. And i want you to know that i know that, and i know that it takes friends to open the doors to get us into these rooms. But these are not rooms that we often get invited to. And so i am so appreciative and im particularly appreciative of the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. Last night we did an event on the hill honoring all of the women of the Congressional Black Caucus, and we had 17 members of the house and a brandnew senator from california joining us, and it was one of those moments where i had to pinch myself because i remember a time when people would shut their doors and not meet with us and we went on the hill. I remember a time when people were afraid to shake my hand. I remember a time when i would sit in hospital beds screaming at god about how unfair this is. And i sure that story and i share that story with you because right now it feels really similar. I have to tell you, the world is crazy. The world is crazy. And we are sitting in a moment in history that is almost impossible to define because people dont want to believe that science, people dont want to believe the truth, people dont want to talk about solutions. They want to talk about stupidness that has nothing to do with the reality of where we are in the world. So all the students here, i worry for you. I have to tell you, your future thats why the Bloomberg Program is so important because you are the future. You will have to take this battle to the people. You are going to have to fight for equality and justice, because we live in a world right now where the Minority Aids Initiative was almost defunded two weeks ago and the house two weeks ago in the house. After 25 years there was a vote and they took away almost all the money except for the last 25 million. And then there was a final vote to get rid of that. And you know what . In this crazy house, we won. We had enough republican members stand with us [applause] and say that you are not going to get rid of the last of the money. Even in this, i wanted to bring you some hope. I wanted you to know that your voice matter, our issues matter. We are part of a generation of people who are having to fight the last vestiges of a system that was set up not for us. We are fighting the last vestiges of the world that says there are literally people who say we are not good enough because of the color of our skin, just because of who we love, just because of the way we choose to express our gender. But hopefully we will fight and win. And so thank you for being here. Thank you for being a part of this extraordinary moment in history. Because i want you to know, there is an old act up saying that we are going to fight like hell for the living. And i need you all to fight like hell for the living, because there has never been as much as risk as there is right now. Thank you for being here. [applause] thank you for those inspiring remarks. It is now time for our panel, hiv and the politics of race, to begin. Can the panelists come to the stage and take their seats . It is my pleasure to introduce the moderator, who is a visiting scholar at Johns Hopkins university Bloomberg School and the department of Health Policy and management. A widely known commentator, activist, and strategist, she is the founder and ceo of global power solutions, a social change strategy that seeks to drive society towards inclusion. Take it away. Good morning. Thank you, roland, for that great introduction, and thank you to paul for those inspiring, inspiring remarks. And i thank every single one of you today who is joining us either in person, on cspan, or on our livestream for this very, very, very important World Aids Day event. With that, i should just say we are here to talk about hiv and the politics of race. The Minority Aids Initiative at 25. I should tell you that back in 1998, when i was just a very, very, very young person i wont tell you how old i came to washington to find out what the Congressional Black Caucus was doing around hiv. In the news there were more basically published accounts of bout the disparity about the disparities, the racial and ethnic disparities, that were happening with hivaids in communities of color. There had been theretofore no federal policy response that address to the issue of these disparities. And i arrived just in time to witness a phenomenal occurrence. I arrived just in time to see hivaids leaders, activists, organizational leaders, and certainly administrators from across the country, they were all of color, come to washington to appeal to the Congressional Black Caucus to do something. They were not receiving the money needed in order to address the epidemic in their communities, and they were very concerned. But prior to that, the ryan white care act had been the primary funding mechanism for hiv funny for communitybased organizations around the country. Hiv communitybased organizations around the country. They appeal to the Congressional Black Caucus to basically do something by creating a funding stream that went directly to communitybased organizations led by people of color who were working in and serving people of color. The chair of the Congressional Black Caucus at that time, congresswoman Maxine Waters. And she carried that ball like nobodys business. She literally caught the ball they tossed it, she caught it, and she ran with it. And she was able to create the Minority Aids Initiative. The other caucuses, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, congressional native american caucus, congressional Asian American caucus, all of these caucuses got on board to support this initiative. Unfortunately, i should just say that around the early 2000s, the administration of george w. Bush decided that they would no longer adhere to the guidance of that the money is go directly to minorityled organizations. That meaning that any organization could get the moneys. And here we are today, five years later 25 years later. Health disparities on hiv are huge and growing, and we have a problem, but we must must must fix it and move forward to save lives. With that, im delighted to have a wonderful and distinguished panel of leaders to have this conversation today, people who have been in the trenches for a very long time doing this work like you just wouldnt believe. And so with that my very first person to my left is heads the Latino Commission on aids, and he is just a wonderful person. I have seen him as an activist. He is brilliant, he is passionate, and he cares. He comes from this fro