Mar 2022

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe for bi-monthly emails from PWN in your inbox!

In this issue:

• Organizing Spotlight: PWN’s Reproductive Justice for Black Lives

• Celebrate and Honor Black Women with us!

• Change the face of politics in Texas – Join Texas Strike Force today

• PWN-PA and PWN-CO Kickoff 2022 Election Campaigns – Join us!

• Join us for SWARM on Mar 28

• PWN Sister Circle Virtual Support Group Mar 10 & 24

• Long COVID survey for people with HIV

• What We’re Reading

• PWN’s team is growing

• PWN is Hiring

Organizing Spotlight: PWN Reproductive Justice 4 Black Lives Program Ambassadors

In the United States, and especially in the South, Black and brown people make up the majority of new HIV diagnoses. Black women and women of color carry the burden of HIV diagnoses in America – a country with a history of reproductive oppression. Reproductive justice is central to our work and to our well-being, yet our federal HIV strategies rarely mention the sexual and reproductive health and rights of people already living with HIV.

In 2021, Positive Women’s Network-USA launched the PWN Reproductive Justice for Black Lives (PWN RJ4BL) Ambassador Program in partnership with our PWN Alabama and Louisiana chapters. PWN Louisiana chapter members Millicent and Sonya speak more on this incredibly important work.

Celebrate and Honor Black Women with us!

Join PWN for our 2nd annual Celebrate and Honor Black Women in the HIV Movement (CHBW) Day on March 12, 2022! Launched in 2021, PWN created this national day of action in recognition of the incredible labor and innovation that Black women, cis and trans, have always contributed to the HIV community, and how they were often overlooked, even harmed, within HIV Institutions.

Our feature Celebrate and Honor Black Women event: Black Joy & Resilience Town Hall is on March 15, 2022. We have a stellar panel of speakers and great entertainment planned!

How are you committing to Black Women in the HIV movement?

PWN uplifts Black women 365 days a year, but for Celebrate and Honor Black Women, we are honoring our 20 HIV Movement Mothers and giving Black staff a day off, as well as a special wellness stipend for self-care. PWN is asking our allies and partners to commit to uplifting Black women in their organizations and in the HIV Movement: will your organization sign on to commit to our 6 asks for this national day of action?

PWN will be uplifting written and visual artwork by PWN members celebrating Black joy and resiliency. We invite PWN members to submit their artwork (poems, blogs, graphic works) Deadline to submit artwork is March 13, 2022 – submit yours today.

Change the Face of Politics in Texas – Join the Texas Strike Force TODAY!

The PWN Texas Strike Force is a statewide cross movement of individuals and organizations ready to take action on behalf of marginalized communities to change the face of politics in Texas. With threats to our access to healthcare voting rights, reproductive rights, and more, we are organizing Texans to protect our communities!

Join PWN-PA and PWN-CO for 2022 Election Campaign Kickoffs!

PWN’s Colorado and Pennsylvania chapters are launching their integrated voter engagement campaigns for the 2022 primaries in March! With so much at stake in the 2022 elections, we know PWN members, state leads, and chapters are excited to mobilize their communities for healthcare, human rights, and bodily autonomy for people of all genders. Join PWN-CO and PWN-PA as they celebrate their upcoming get-out-the-vote (GOTV) work with music, games, and your PWN family!

After you register, you’ll get more information about how to join. See you there!

Join us for SWARM on March 28

HIV advocates are fighting for Reproductive Justice (RJ) for Black Lives! SisterSong defines Reproductive Justice as the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, to have children or not, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities. SWARM members will be grounded in the principles of reproductive justice (RJ), learn what RJ is, why it is important to people living with HIV & advocates, and learn how to use RJ in HIV advocacy.

PWN Sister Circle Virtual Support Group Mar 10 & 24

Join us this month on Thursdays, March 10 and 24th at 8 pm ET/ 7 pm CT/ 5 pm PT for PWNCares Sister Circle. #PWNCares Sister Circle is a virtual support group for women and people of trans experience living with HIV. Registration is required for participation.

PWN members will receive a link to join the group once they sign up. We encourage you to join us and invite a friend!

Long COVID survey for people with HIV

Strategies for High Impact and the National Network for Long COVID Justice invites members of the HIV community to take and share this anonymous survey to better understand the needs of the community in the face of long COVID-19.

En español: Haga clic aquí, o visite: https://bit.ly/S4HIencuesta

What We’re Reading

The Meaningful Involvement of People with HIV/AIDS (MIPA): The Participatory Praxis Approach to Community Engagement on HIV Surveillance

The Meaningful Involvement of People with HIV/AIDS (MIPA) has been at the core of the HIV response since the beginning of the HIV epidemic. This article, authored by people living with HIV and allies, compares two community engagement activities concerned with molecular HIV surveillance (MHS) in the United States: one governmental and one community-led. The authors examine the consultative aspects of each one, especially as they relate to people living with HIV, and summarize best practices.

The PWN team is growing!

Please join us in extending a very warm welcome to the newest members of PWN’s staff team:

• Elena Ferguson (she/her/hers)- Policy Specialist

• Martha Sichone-Cameron (she/her/hers)- Special Projects Coordinator

• Victoria Siciliano (she/they/ella)- Director of Communications

And a special congratulations to our very own Kelly Flannery (she/her) our NEW Policy Director!!!

PWN is Hiring

Join our team of dedicated staff! We’re hiring for several positions:

• Voter Engagement Program Manager
• National Field Organizer

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.