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AMSA Takes Action on World AIDS Day 2007
The timing of World AIDS Day 2007, before the presidential primary election, gave us an enormous amount of political power as voters. During this time-before the presidential race is narrowed down to one Democrat and one Republican-we have a greater ability to shape the candidate's stances and policies by telling them what issues are important to the public. Using this power as voters, and our social capital as future doctors, we addressed the presidential candidates with our three demands for PEPFAR reform.
- Tri-city rally
- Going to the streets in Washington DC, Chicago, and San Francisco to tell the presidential candidates that we need PEPFAR reform now!
- Look below to get a summary of each rally, pictures, and press coverage
- Call-in
- In addition to addressing the presidential candidates with our three demands for PEPFAR reform via the rallies, AMSA also organized a call-in to the front-running Republican and Democratic presidential candidates
- AMSA chapters across the country called in using the script during the week leading up to World AIDS Day, asking each candidate to commit to our three demands in their speeches on World AIDS Day
- Other education and action events from the local chapters
RECAP: AMSA Rallies for PEPFAR Reform
In order to communicate our demands for PEPFAR reform to the presidential candidates, AMSA hosted tri-city rally in Washington DC, Chicago, and San Francisco. These rallies brought hundreds of medical students from across the country to stand in solidarity and advocate for the U.S. to continue its leadership in fighting global AIDS.
Our theme of "Cut the Red Tape!" represented how we as future doctors are inhibited from fighting global AIDS by politics and bad policy, such as inadequate funding and prevention based on ideology instead of evidence. Actual red caution tape was used to bind hands behind backs and to link the crowd together, creating a strong visual of our message.
Washington DC
In Washington DC, AMSA partnered with community and national organizations. This included some of our closest allies as the Student Global AIDS Campaign, Center for Health and Gender Equity, University Coalitions for Global Health, DC Fights Back, Africa Action, and ACT-UP Philadelphia, among others. On November 30th, these groups came together to hold a march, rally and vigil in Washington DC. Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton spoke at our rally on the need for AIDS relief both domestically and internationally. Later, students from AMSA and the other organizations protested in front of the White House and performed an act of civil disobedience. This rally launched our tri-city effort.
Media Hits
Washington Post
Washington Post (pre-coverage)
CNN
Associated Press
Reuters
Kansas City InfoZine
NBC 4
Los Angeles Times
Fox 6
Common Dreams News Center
Al Jazeera
Examiner
Examiner
Voices of America
CBS 8 (Las Vegas)
My58
DCist
YouTube news clip
Photographs
Chicago
On November 30th, the eve of World AIDS Day, over 100 AMSA members from all over the Midwest joined the Chicago Women's AIDS Project and other community members in downtown Chicago to ask the presidential candidates to reform PEPFAR. A rally was held in front of Senator Obama's office, followed by a march to the Illinois Republican Party offices. We had three great speakers: Cathy from the Chicago Women's AIDS Project who spoke on the need to remove the 1/3 abstinence-until-marriage earmark which puts women and youth at even greater risk, Matt Sharpe from the Test Positive Aware Network who spoke about his own experiences living with HIV and the need to sufficiently fund PEPFAR, and Senator Obama's staffer who read a statement committing to our three demands. The rally and march got a great response from passersbys as the group chanted "Our Future, Our Crisis, Fight Global AIDS!"
Statement from Senator Obama:
Senator Obama commends the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) for their continued advocacy to improve the health and well-being of all individuals. The Senator joins AMSA in its commitment to stepping up efforts to combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which is affecting 33 million people around the world. Obama supports AMSA's goal to provide $50 billion by 2013 for the fight against HIV/AIDS, to increase our prevention strategy beyond abstinence-only programs, and to reauthorize and revise PEPFAR to effectively fund desperately needed workforce training and retention programs. Senator Obama shares AMSA's vision about the role the government and health professionals must play in promoting and protecting public health, and will continue to fight alongside AMSA in this battle against HIV and AIDS.
Media Hits
People's Weekly World
Chicago Free Press
Windy City Times
The Body
Illinois Radio Network: Audio clip 1 | Audio clip 2
Photographs
San Francisco
In San Francisco, at the Region 10 Conference, participants and members of the community participated in a march and rally on World AIDS Day. Over 100 students marched to the steps of City Hall chanting for "PEPFAR Reform Now!" At the City Hall Steps, students were met by AMSA's National President Michael Ehlert and Global AIDS Fellow Vishal Patel, representatives from Congresswoman Barbara Lee's office, City Supervisor Tom Ammiano, and Dr. Sophy Wong from UCSF. Together the students and speakers spoke about the need for PEPFAR Reform and social aware physicians. The ralliers were met with supportive horn honking of cars passing by City Hall. An amazing success, many conference participants hailed this as the highlight of the weekend in San Francisco.
Media Hits
San Francisco Chronicle
Photographs
Rally Materials
Press release
Hand out
RECAP: Local Chapter Activities for World AIDS Day
Drexel University
Education:
- Guest Speaker Event entitled "HIV/AIDS: Personal, Medical, and Global Experiences." Speakers included Waheedah Shabazz-El (Treasurer of ACT UP Philadelphia), Dr. Susan Kaplan (Vice Chair of Penn AIDS Research and leader of Philadelphia FIGHT), and Dr. Jennifer Cohn (infectious disease fellow and a global activist for Health GAP). About 70 students participated.
- Screening of A Closer Walk, a movie depicting humankind's confrontation with the global AIDS epidemic.
Public awareness
- Human chain in the Drexel Quad at three different times throughout the day. Members were added to the chain, representing the amount of people dying of HIV/AIDS every minute.
- Candlelight vigil in remembrance of AIDS patients
Action:
- Call-in to presidential candidates asking them to reform PEPFAR (using the AMSA script found on this webpage). Over 100 calls were made!
- Goody bag making session for children affected by HIV/AIDS in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Contact: Shazia Mehmood
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Education: Dr. Clifford, an expert in the neurobiology of HIV/AIDS, discussed the global epidemic and the need to address it now.
Action: Postcard campaign (about 70 students participating)
Contact: James Hudspeth
Emory University School of Medicine
Education: Dr. Gerberding, the director of the Center for Disease Control (CDC), give an emotional speech on the realities of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Other speakers included a student from the Emory Hillel and a HIV+ public health student who discussed experiences working with an outreach program to prevent HIV infections in teens across the country.
Public awareness: A moving public event where an AIDS Quilt was spread open while names from the Names Project were read aloud.
Pictures
Contact: Yvonne Whitelaw
Benedict College (Columbia, South Carolina)
Education: Hosted a rally with student speakers and step-call to action in conjunction with PALS (Palmetto AIDS Life Support Services), a local AIDS service organization. The event drew attention to the ADAP (AIDS Drug Assistance Program) waiting list that costs lives in South Carolina by preventing timely access to life-saving anti-retroviral treatment.
Action: In January Benedict will be joining medical students from University of South Carolina School of Medicine for an "End the Wait" lobby day to ask legislators to end the ADAP waiting list in South Carolina.
Contact: Mary Carol Jennings
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