WomenNowSummit is being held in Kigali, Rwanda from November 28-December 1st, 2019. The event is designed as an opportunity to organize women and girls of African descent to build stronger and more collective action on key issues, including: racial inequity; economic and gender inequality; leadership and power; gender-based violence and trauma; sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice; intergenerational movement building; and equity and justice in SRHRJ programs and policies in research, prevention, care and advocacy.

World AIDS day is coming up and the theme this year is "Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Community by Community." SisterLove is excited to have some great activities for the community.
Events:

Dem Black Mamas Podcast: Date TBD

Dinner Fundraiser at Mellow Mushroom at 340 W Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur, GA 30030 on December 5th from 4pm-9pm

A portion of all sales will go directly to SisterLove!

More to come!

Partner Updates

The second annual Pre-World AIDS Day Breakfast is a signature event of the Fulton County Board of Health. It brings together medical, political and community leaders to discuss and celebrate progress towards ending the HIV epidemic in the Atlanta area.

This year, the event honors with the Kathleen Toomey Lifetime Achievement award, Dr. Eugene McCray, the Director, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Dr. McCray will give the keynote address at the event.

The event will also be honoring 5 other community members who have distinguished themselves in their efforts to end the HIV epidemic.
RSVP HERE

The fourth annual Biomedical HIV Prevention Summit will be held December 3-4, 2019 in Houston, Texas. The summit will highlight the role that biomedical prevention tools such as PrEP, PEP, Treatment as Prevention (TasP), and U=U have in ending the epidemic.

Thank you to all those who applied for the SisterLove scholarships to attend the conference. We had over 80 applications! We have notified all those who have been awarded the scholarship.

If you would like to attend the conference register here

Urge is looking to hire a second Georgia State Organizer! URGE has done some amazing work in Georgia so and they are hoping to expand their reach in the southern half of Georgia. They are looking for someone who currently lives in, or is willing to move to, areas such as Valdosta, Savannah, Macon or Columbus. Check out the job description and how to apply here

Applications are open for the Advocates for Youth's National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Ambassador Program! The program is offering 75 young people (ages 13-24) the opportunity to work across campuses and communities throughout the U.S. to share factual sexual health information, organize actions to address the impact of HIV/AIDS on youth, and create community spaces for healing and reflection. Youth Ambassadors will promote a message of prevention, treatment, care and youth empowerment, centering young people’s voices and their experiences. You can apply here.

In the News

Medicaid Changes

Governor Kemp's long-awaited waiver plan, has been revealed which would impose requirements that recipients of a limited Medicaid expansion be employed or involved in other activities. The plan will provide less coverage than a full Medicaid expansion and plans to focus on the state’s poorest residents, particularly the 408,000 or so adult Georgians who make less than the federal poverty level — about $12,000 a year for an individual — but do not qualify for Medicaid. However, estimates show far less will actually be covered. The plan will extend Medicaid eligibility to those who have jobs, are enrolled in school or are engaged in specific types of community service. This is based on the belief that these waivers will encourage people to engage in job training and education. Each of these waivers however much be approved by the federal government before implemented. Read more about the updates here. Cover Georgia has set up a comment portal where you can you make your voice heard. Comment here.

Maternal Mortality Debate in the State House

The House of Representatives recently had a meeting regarding the House Study Committee on Maternal Mortality. Gerogia currently has the highest rate of maternal mortality in the nation. The meeting which took place on October 17, 2019, "focused on the work being done by reserachers and institutions across the state to address Georgia's high maternal mortality rate." It included doctors and phyhsicians from Mercer University, Morehouse School of Medicine, the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, and Emory University. The social determinants of maternal mortality were discussed as well as proposals of new models for delivery and postpartum services, focusing on local needs. Although the doctors presented good ideas on how to deal with this issue, there was a nocticeable lack of community members invited to meeting and did not present. It is important that for these discussions we center those women who are being primarily affected, particularly women of color. If you would like to read the presentation materials, you can see them here.

Thank You For Your Support!

Thank you to everyone who came to LTAS2019! There were over 2,000 attendees with many amazing panels to choose from. SisterLove had a table the entire weekend conducting HIV Tests and added 200 new people to our email list! SisterLove's Sequoia Ayala, Zainab Jah, and Marieh Scales also held a panel called "Girls Need Love Too: Centering Pleasures for Girls of Color and Femmes" which over 50 people attended!

Thanks to everyone who came to our amazing Trunk or Treat! We prevailed through the weather, accommodated over 60 guests, and were able to give our candy to lots of kids!

Please keep a look out for our other Cocktails and Conversations Events on our SisterLove Website or in the PAP Newsletter!

Upcoming SisterLove Events