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PWN-USA ran 3 voter engagement campaigns this fall election season in Texas-Greater Houston Area, Pennsylvania, & Colorado. Our campaigns focused on what matters most to our members & their communities: abortion rights, harm reduction, & decarcerating public health. 

We are incredibly proud of our PWN members, volunteers, campaign leaders, & national staff who showed up in ways beyond our wildest imagination, working through the pain & exhaustion & bringing joy & hope with them every step of the way. Through their efforts, we knocked on over 100,000 doors & called over 300,000 voters to build power in our communities, educate folks about the issues that matter to us, & get out the vote. 

This has been our strongest voter engagement campaign season yet, and we will continue to fight for our communities year round. Our strength lies in our shared resilience, mutual support, and unwavering vision of a brighter, inclusive future. No matter the outcome of any election, nothing can break our commitment to ourselves, each other, & our collective liberation.

Stay tuned for more! Next week we'll be releasing a full campaign break down with more photos and words from our members directly to your inbox.

On Fri, Nov 15th, PWN was honored to have ONAP Director Francisco Ruiz join our monthly membership call for an important listening session. As the federal government continues to develop the next National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS), it is critical to represent the voices, needs, & demands of women (cis & trans), trans & gender diverse folk living with HIV. 

We had 63 members, staff, & board members join us to advocate to Director Ruiz about the issues that matter most to our communities. Our Policy Director Kelly Flannery prepped us with a description of the NHAS and an important reminder: “Even under a hostile administration, progress can be made and we can continue to hold elected officials accountable.”

Evany Turk, PWN board member, highlighted a key issue: ”If you build the foundation with MIPA*, make the commitment to build plans with people living with HIV included, some of these issues will be resolved. We know how to resolve the issues.”  PWN member Martha Cameron spoke to Director Ruiz saying, "We are looking to you & your leadership to help us continue to preserve the quality of life for those of us living with HIV, including lifetime and long-term survivors."

Director Ruiz closed out the session clarifying that the NHAS is “not about having a cute flashy document, it’s about using this as a tool to examine our work and inform how we can do better going forward. This work isn’t about one person, it’s about all of us."

Thank you for joining us, Director Ruiz! We appreciate all you do for our community.

*MIPA = meaningful involvement of people living with HIV/AIDS

Congratulations to our November 2024 Shero of the Month, Evany Turk (she/her) of Texas!

Evany Turk is an award-winning public health strategist, public speaker, and community champion renowned for her influential leadership in advocacy and empowerment. She is the Director of Residential Housing at Chicago House and Social Service Agency, and the Founder, President, and Chief Strategist of her own HIV consulting business Heartworks Consulting. Evany has been a longstanding member of PWN, helping with a number of training assistance opportunities; she previously held the role National Field Organizer at PWN, and currently serves as a board member. 

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

😍 Congratulations to MJ Maestas (she/her/ella) of CO for being invited for a second year of interning with the National HIV/AIDS Housing Coalition. 

💯 Our very own Barb Cardell (they/them) is being honored in the World AIDS Day display at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs! 

✨ Please join us in celebrating Brooke Davidoff (MO) for being inducted into SisterLove's 20/20 Leading Women’s Society!

💞 We are so proud of PWN member Mary Lucero-Hill for presenting at the International Conference on Stigma 2024!

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! 🤠

PWN-USA's office will be closed this week from Wed, 11/27 to Fri, 11/29. We will reopen Mon, 12/02.

These are just some of the events that our members are hosting and participating in for World AIDS Day. Check out local in-person events in New York and Colorado and visit with us virtually with offerings from our Alabama and Louisiana chapters!

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, 12/12/24 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! 💗

• "Philly canvassers urge voters to consider health issues like HIV prevention, abortion access and insurance at the polls" by WHYY (10/29/24)
  • Featuring Colette White, Jeanette Murdock-Ullah, & Samm P.
• "Women With HIV Are Getting Out the Vote" by Poz.com (10/29/24)
  • Featuring PWN-PA, Colette White, & Samm P.
• "Freaked Out by the U.S. Election Results? These Longtime HIV Advocates Have Guidance for the Community" by TheBody (11/08/24)
  • Featuring Keiva Lei Cadena: “At this point, we can’t afford division within the HIV community. It’s really about banding together and working from the bottom of our base.”

• "We Will Liberate Us" by PWN-USA (11/06/24) - PWN's post-election statement
• Tell Your Representatives in Congress to #SaveHIVFunding!
• "Climate change is disrupting access to HIV treatment" by The 19th (11/20/24)
• "Introducing the Trans Survival Guide" by Advocates for Trans Equality
• "FROM PROJECT 2025 TO PROJECT 2029: How We Resist An Authoritarian Takeover and Turn Public Administration Into a Force For Equity and Justice" by Race Forward
• "10 ways to be prepared and grounded now that Trump has won" by Wage Nonviolence (11/06/24)

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!

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