AHF to Host Panel at National Action Network Annual Conference in NYC
Interactive discussion to focus on HIV/AIDS in black community,
feature keynote address by Rev. Al Sharpton
NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AIDS
Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is proud to support the National Action
Network (NAN) 25th
Anniversary & National Convention being held April 13-16th
at the Sheraton Times Square Hotel in New York City. National
Action Network, the influential nonprofit civil rights group founded
by Rev. Al Sharpton in 1991, hosts its annual convention in
New York City to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and
brings together influential national leaders in civil rights,
government, labor, religion, business, politics, media and activism to
assess the current state of the African-American community.
On Thursday at 12:45 PM in the Empire East Ballroom, AHF will host a
“Vote2EndHIV: #BlackVotesMatter” presentation
and interactive panel discussion on HIV/AIDS in the African-American
community that will feature a keynote address by Rev. Sharpton and
panelists Cynthia Carey-Grant, Executive Director, Women
Organized to Respond to Life-Threatening Disease (WORLD);
Dr.
Cynthia Davis, Board Chair, AIDS Healthcare Foundation; Ingrid
Floyd, Executive Director, Iris
House; Tracy Jones, Executive Director, AIDS
Task Force Greater Cleveland; Kalvin Leveille, Field
Director/Program Coordinator, Columbia University; Vanessa Smith,
Executive Director, Chicago
Southside Help Center; and Dr.
Rodney Wright, Board Member, AIDS Healthcare Foundation. The
discussion will be moderated by Debra Fraser-Howze, Senior Vice
President, Government & External Affairs at OraSure Technologies, Inc.
“We are excited to build upon our partnership with the National Action
Network and Rev. Sharpton by sponsoring and participating in NAN’s 25th
Anniversary and National Convention,” said AHF Senior Director of
Worldwide Sales and Marketing Samantha Granberry. “Given how many
African-American lives are touched by HIV/AIDS each year and how much is
at stake in the upcoming presidential elections, we are encouraged that
Rev. Sharpton and the National Action Network is fully supportive of the
need for frank discussion around HIV/AIDS. With national statistics
continuing to show staggeringly high HIV/AIDS infection and mortality
rates among African-Americans, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment must be
at the forefront of our next president’s agenda. We look forward to
working with the National Action Network and our partners to keep
attention focused on this issue and securing the resources needed to win
the battle against HIV/AIDS.”
AHF was pleased to support the NAN National Convention in 2015 during
which it hosted a panel discussion to culminate its “AIDS
Is A Civil Rights Issue” campaign. Headlined by Rev. Sharpton, the
yearlong advocacy and public awareness campaign held town hall sessions
in eight U.S. cities to draw attention to the disproportionate rates of
HIV/AIDS infection in the African-American community and called for the
end of stigma and increased funding and resources to combat the disease.
Rev. Sharpton was also presented with AHF’s Community Vanguard Award
during the conference.
At NAN’s 16th Annual Convention in 2014, AHF President Michael
Weinstein received the organization’s “Keeper of the Dream” award
for launching the “AIDS Is A Civil Rights Issue” campaign. The award is
given each year in April to mark the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr.’s death and “honor those who have continued to
advocate for the principles for which Dr. King gave his life.”
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS
organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over
605,000 individuals in 36 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin
America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn
more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org,
find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth
and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare
and Instagram: @aidshealthcare.
Contacts
AHF
Ged Kenslea, Senior Director, Communications
+1.323.308.1833
work
+1.323.791.5526 mobile
gedk@aidshealth.org
or
Christopher
Johnson, Associate Director of Communications
+1.323.960.4846
work
+1.310.880.9913 mobile
christopher.johnson@aidshealth.org
