December 5, 2018: We are thrilled to announce that Arneta Rogers, PWN’s first ever Policy Director, is moving on to do (even more) great things! Although we will miss her, we are so excited about Arneta’s next steps.  

Arneta built a policy department where we didn’t have one. Under her leadership, PWN expanded our national policy presence, and launched our flagship yearlong policy fellowship to deepen the bench of women and people of trans experience living with HIV prepared to lead policy advocacy. She led PWN through a constituent-led process to develop a bold and aspirational new policy agenda, helped author PWN’s Bodily Autonomy framework, and co-convened the seminal Black United Leadership Institute (BULI). In coalition with our partners, Arneta helped pass SB 239, repealing California’s discriminatory HIV criminalization laws. As her colleagues, we are tremendously proud of Arneta’s work and grateful to have learned and grown from her friendship.  

It is with simultaneous sadness and joy that we wish Arneta much success and happiness as she transitions from her role with PWN and joins the Reproductive Justice and Gender Equity Team at the ACLU of Northern California. We know that the racial and gender justice lens she brings to her work, as well as her commitment to lead in collaboration with directly impacted communities, will be incredibly important in her new role, and that she will have a powerful impact at the ACLU.

“I’ve been humbled to work and fight alongside such a dedicated group of advocates, activists and the fiercest network of people living with HIV over the past three years,” says Arneta. “The perseverance of the PWN community has and will continue to remain for me the brightest light in these most perilous of political times. I remain deeply committed to advancing human rights and our struggle for collective dignity and liberation and hope we will continue to collaborate in getting there until our work is done.”

Arneta’s last day with PWN will be December 21, and you’ll hear from us soon about next steps to try and fill her shoes. In the meantime, please join us in wishing Arneta the best in her journey!

Love,
The PWN Team

Naina, Venita, Jennie, Waheedah, Tiommi, Evany, Kelly, and Anand.