Thursday, April 12
6:30p – 9:30p The Power of Meaningful Involvement
What becomes possible when the communities most impacted by an issue are defining the problems, proposing solutions, and driving the agenda? What does that even look like in practice? How does it change the way we work? What’s challenging about it? In this session we’ll discuss ways that people living with HIV and other communities are organizing as networks accountable to their constituencies. This session will also provide an overview of the Summit goals and answer your basic questions about what to expect during the Summit.Speakers: Tami Haught, Sero Project; Pat Kelly, Positive Women’s Network-South Carolina; Octavia Lewis, Positively Trans; Andy Spieldenner – US People Living with HIV Caucus.
Moderator: Tiommi Luckett
Friday, April 13
8:00a – 10:00a Reflecting our Past, Visioning Our Collective Future
The last 18 months have been quite a ride! In this session we will reflect on what we’ve accomplished as a community since our last SPEAK UP! Summit in September 2016. We’ll look at lessons learned, and share what’s guiding PWN’s vision for the next phase of our journey together. We’ll talk about new strategies PWN is taking on to connect with our members, why chapters are starting to get involved with election work, and PWN’s commitments to elevate racial and gender justice in our own work and the broader HIV community so we can build long term, sustainable power for our communities.Speakers: Naina Khanna, Evany Turk, Venita Ray, Arneta Rogers, Waheedah Shabazz-El
Moderator: Jennie Smith-Camejo
12:00p – 2:00p Federal Policy: Holding the Line: Protecting What We Have
Over the past year, we have faced an escalation of politically-motivated assaults on federal programs on which our communities depend for survival. The Affordable Care Act and Medicaid have faced repeated attacks. Policies enacted using the pretense of “religious freedom” are being used to shield providers who refuse to care for LGBT communities and to provide essential sexual and reproductive health services. Massive tax cuts for the rich are placing funding for housing, food and basic services at risk. The administration has declared war on immigrants and sanctuary cities. Despite this, advocates in the HIV, LGBTQ and Reproductive Justice movements have fiercely mobilized to respond to the onslaught of repeated attacks. This discussion will explore how advocates have held the line on repressive policies from the Trump administration, what’s at stake today, and how we can utilize lessons learned to both protect what we have and advance wins for our communities in the future.Speakers: Cecilia Chung – Transgender Law Center; Marcela Howell – In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda; William McColl – AIDS United
Moderator: Arneta Rogers
6:30p – 7:30p Networking Dinner: Meet & Greet
Network with folks from your state. Get to know the PWN chapter co-chairs, State Leads and members from your state! Learn about PWN’s workgroups, calls to action, and other opportunities to organize locally. Make plans about how to stay connected with members in your state.
Speakers: Waheedah Shabazz-El, Jennie Smith-Camejo, Evany Turk
Moderator: Rebecca Wang
Saturday, April 14
8:00a – 10:00a (Re)Claiming Our Time: Building Power Beyond this Political Moment
What does it really look like to build long-term power for our communities? What are some opportunities facing us in 2018 to change who’s in power, how power is held, and to create new systems to support our vision for justice and liberation? And what are we fighting for? Panelists will discuss the importance of 2018 as a moment to get organized, naming and claiming our victories.
Speakers: Kenyon Farrow, Malika Redmond, Evany Turk, Monique Tula.
Moderator: Naina Khanna
12:00p – 2:00p Let’s Talk about Sex: The Criminalization of Bodies, Dating, and Intimacy
Sex, dating, and family creation while living with HIV. Society judges and penalizes women for all these choices and more. From a reproductive justice perspective: What rights are being violated? What are the consequences? What must change? And what can we do? This roundtable will discuss the various ways in which the bodies of women, especially women living with HIV and women who challenge social norms, are criminalized and policed. If we start with the premises that women living with HIV have the right to erotic and enjoyable sex lives, to create or not create families of our choosing, and that sex work is work – what does that mean? Panelists will get real about sex, dating, body positivity, relationships, self-love, and reproductive rights. Finally, the panelists will discuss what’s working, ideas for progress in the future, and their visions for how WLHIV can help lead those efforts.
Panelists: Tranisha Arzah, Evonne Kaho, Stephanie Laster, Nina Martinez, Cris Sardina
Moderators: Marnina Miller and Teresa Sullivan
6:30p – 8:30p 10th Anniversary Dinner and Celebration
Join us for a lively program to celebrate accomplishments and honor our victories since PWN was founded in 2008.
Special guests include: Brook Kelly and Terry McGovern
Sunday, April 15
12:00p – 2:00p Resistance & Resilience: Caring for Ourselves and the Beloved Community in Challenging Times
This political moment demands a lot of us as leaders. As women living with HIV, the dignity, health and rights of our communities are under constant attack. In the face of this, PWN members are frequently managing our own trauma and emotional, mental and spiritual wellness while we organize, advocate and lead. But we are most powerful as leaders when we are whole and healthy. As the great Audre Lorde says, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.” This closing session willi deepen our understanding of what it looks like to care for ourselves and each other collectively as a community of leaders. We will also discuss next steps and hear report-backs on decisions made at SPEAK UP! 2018.
Featuring Bre Campbell, Barb Cardell, Grissel Granados, LaTrischa Miles, Waheedah Shabazz-El
Moderated by Naina Khanna and Evany Turk