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PWN-USA has hit the ground running to get our communities out to vote this election season! The PWN Texas-Greater Houston Area, Colorado, and Pennsylvania chapters launched their voter engagement campaigns to inform and connect with voters on issues including abortion rights and harm reduction. Our teams of phone-bankers and canvassers have already talked to thousands of voters—and we aren't slowing down!

Connect with us on social media to see updates on our campaigns all the way through election day!

Francisco Ruiz, the Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP), will be joining PWN's national membership call to hear directly from YOU!

Mark your calendar for November 15th, 2024 at 4PM ET/3PM CT/2PM MT/1PM PT/10AM HT!

The National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) is the U.S. government's roadmap for strategically reducing the impact of and ultimately ending the HIV epidemic in the United States. Policy derived from the NHAS touches our lives every day; its goals must be created with input from women (trans and cis) and gender diverse folks living with HIV.

This is a chance for our members to speak about your experiences and priorities as a subject matter expert and be heard directly by ONAP Director, Francisco Ruiz. Don't miss it!

Note: This opportunity is for PWN members only. If you are a woman (trans or cis), person of trans experience, or gender diverse person living with HIV and you want to be considered a PWN member, you already are!

In October of 2014, during Intimate Partner Violence Awareness Month, PWN-USA spearheaded the first-ever National Day of Action to End Violence Against Women Living with HIV (Day of Action) to draw attention to the high rates of interpersonal violence, abuse, and systemic brutality faced by women living with HIV – including the murder of women following the disclosure of their HIV status.

Ten years later, we talked to a group of PWN members about the ways in which violence against women living with HIV has shown up in their lives. This is what they had to say. This video is part of the #PWNCares series.

Content warning: violence and abuse against women living with HIV is discussed in detail, including sexual assault, intimate partner violence, racism, transmisia, HIV stigma, and mental health.

Congratulations to our October 2024 Shero of the Month, Sharon DeCuir (she/her) of Louisiana!

Sharon is a founder and senior member of PWN-Louisiana, and recently joined our PWN Board of Directors for the second time. She has been an inspiration and guiding source of information for women living with HIV in her state.

She recently led the LA chapter in presenting at the United States Conference on HIV/AIDS (USCHA), discussing how Black women (trans and cis), femmes, girls, and gender-expansive people have paved the way towards our collective liberation, and how we can create inclusive spaces for Black women in the HIV movement so their labor and expertise doesn’t go unnoticed.

This interview was hosted by our previous Shero of the Month Valerie Pinkston (she/her) of MS. Listen to the full conversation by clicking below! We are so proud to honor Sharon as our October Shero! 💐

😍 Please join us in celebrating our PWN-South Carolina sister Stacy Jennings for sharing her powerful story in the new film Red Reminds Me directed by Janneke Wade-de Jong & produced by SEEDS of Healing Inc.

🤓 Congrats to PWN-CO co-chair MJ Maestas (she/her) who will be speaking at the Beyond the Regs: A Housing Conference hosted by the National HIV/AIDS Housing Coalition! They will discuss critical topics surrounding HIV prevention housing programs, innovative strategies for braiding federal funds beyond HOPWA, and advocacy needs for housing in 2024. 

💯 Congratulations to our PWN staff & members who presented at Fall AIDSWatch 2024 hosted by AIDS United! You can watch the recording here. Featuring:

• Keiva Lei Cadena (she/her), PWN Co-Director
• Samm P. (she/her), Voter Engagement Program Manager
• Stephanie Knupsky (she/her), PWN-PA IVE Lead
• Kenya Moussa (she/her), PWN-PA Co-Chair & IVE Lead

🤠 Congratulations to our Organizing Director Crystal, TX-Greater Houston Area Chapter Co-Chair JessiMona, & past PWN Co-Director Venita for presenting with the National HIV/AIDS Housing Coalition on mobilizing your network for the election!

🕯 Please join us in celebrating & honoring the life of our late sister Wilhelmena Walker. If you would like to add a picture or a favorite memory for the community altar, please reach out to [email protected]. We will forever keep her in our hearts as we continue our work to create a better world for all women & trans folks living with HIV. ❤️

People living with HIV are strong and resilient, and every day holds something to celebrate. Submit anything you want to celebrated, from getting appointed to a Community Advisory Board or giving a shout out to your fav PWN-er. There's nothing too small to be celebrated - let's uplift all of the joy and wins in our communities! 🤠

Are you a PWN member living with HIV? Join our virtual support group, Sister Circle, for a space to release, connect, and find peace! ✨ Join us Thursday, 10/17/24 at 8PM ET/7PM CT/6PM MT/5PM PT/2PM HT. Registration required to attend: bit.ly/PWNCARES (all caps). Hope to see you there! 💗

Did you get your bestie to nominate you for a #HINAC6 scholarship? 👀 All you have to do is go to the application link you received and submit your application by 10/21/24. ⏰ For more info about the scholarship process, watch this video to learn how to submit your application!

If you have any issues or need help submitting your scholarship application, contact Barb Cardell (they/them) at [email protected]

PWN-USA invites our members to join us for a Community Conversation on Violence Against Women living with HIV on Wednesday, 10/23/24 at 7PM ET/6PM CT/5PM MT/4PM PT/1PM HT. This is a follow up to our National Day of Action to End Violence Against WLHIV Facebook live. This is a safe space for our members to be in community & share their experiences with violence. Register here!

PWN-USA members are invited to join us this Friday, 10/25/24 at 7PM ET/6PM CT/5PM MT/4PM PT/1PM HT for our Rest & Restore radical healing space! Lepena Reid will guide us through wellness & mindfulness activities & practices. Come along on our healing justice journey & register here!

• "Community organization shares public safety concerns with candidates for DA and sheriff" by Houston Chronicle (10/14/2024)
  • Featuring our PWN-TX, Greater Houston Area chapter leaders Tana, Selena, & Angela & PWN-USA staff Elena

• PWN-USA September Monthly Policy Update 
• Lashanda Salinas' HIV Is Not a Crime video from Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation
• "Colorado’s fund for opioid reversal naloxone is drying up, even as settlement money rolls in" by Colorado Sun (10/14/2024)
• Interrupting Intimate Partner Violence: A Guide for Community Responses Without Police by Anti Police-Terror Project & Justice Teams Network
• "Resolution supporting abortion as a human right introduced in U.S. Congress" by Ipas (09/27/2024)

If you've been to a PWN celebration in the past few years, then you've grooved to the song stylings of our very own DJ Big Sal, a.k.a. Sallie Thomas - the decriminalization specialist on our policy team. Now she's bringing you a song selection to get your joy on!

This month, DJ Big Sal is urging you to get down to the polls with this tune:

You can check out our previous celebration playlists on Spotify HERE!

If you are interested in sharing newsletter content, please contact us at [email protected]. Please note that content about PWN members is prioritized, and there is no guarantee your content will be featured.