Category Archives: Drug users' rights
Why AIDS Activists Occupy Wall Street — and How to Get Involved!
In 2008, as the stock market crashed and Congress prepared to give trillions of tax dollars to the banks, I desperately emailed all my AIDS activist friends: “We’ve got to stop this bailout! There will be no money for Obama … Continue reading
US Social Forum workshops not to be missed!
1p – 5:30p: HIV/AIDS and Social Justice – Cobo W2-61 – Fighting for the rights of people in prison, living on the streets, or in schools. Organizing against gentrification, poverty, and government neglect. Challenging racism, homophobia, and discrimination of all sorts. Confronting the forces of corporatization, globalization, and greed. AIDS activists are at the center of each of these battles, because we have long recognized that the AIDS epidemic is fueled by each of these forms of oppression. Good activists link local, national, and global struggles. They bring a broad range of voices to confront those with power. They work to amplify silenced voices within their own groups and throughout the world. And they win. We’ve won local victories like on-demand housing for everyone living with AIDS in NYC, and global victories like forcing drug companies and governments to accept generic drug competition. We are led by people living with HIV and have always brought the voices of those infected directly to those in power, amplified but not drowned out by the voices of allies. Come help us connect the dots between AIDS and oppressions faced by people on a daily basis, and learn what the successes and challenges of the AIDS movement can teach us all. Continue reading
Filed under Africa, African Americans, Alternatives to 501c3, arts and culture, California, disaster capitalism, displacement and gentrification, Drug users' rights, economic justice, gay and bisexual men, gender, Haiti, harm reduction, housing, immigration/migration, imperialism/colonialism, Latina/o communities in the United States, New Orleans, New York City, police repression, prison, revolutionary strategies, sex workers' rights, sexual violence, Southern United States, trans and gender non-conforming, transformative justice, treatment access, women
Georgia Prevention Justice Alliance: Will Parrish and Jeff Graham
Now four years in recovery and an outreach worker at Recovery Consultants of Atlanta, Parrish credits the Atlanta Harm Reduction Center for keeping him HIV negative. Now, he agitates with a brand new activist group, the Georgia Prevention Justice Alliance (PJA), to demand that the county legalize and fund syringe exchange. Continue reading
Open Letter to the Left and the AIDS Movement: Two ships passing on our winding way to a new dawn
I got a sense that people of color—especially immigrants, indigenous people, women of color and queer people of color—were like, “the Left is ours,” and were bringing the most innovative strategies and concepts to be seen in years, rocketing the whole thing into another dimension. Continue reading
Filed under African Americans, Alternatives to 501c3, disaster capitalism, Drug users' rights, economic justice, gay and bisexual men, gender, harm reduction, hepatitis, housing, imperialism/colonialism, Latina/o communities in the United States, New York City, people with AIDS in leadership, Philadelphia, police repression, prison, revolutionary strategies, sex workers' rights, Southern United States, stigma, trans and gender non-conforming, Uncategorized, women
Solidarity Project 5 – “Nothing About Us Without Us”: Drug Users Organizing
The Solidarity Project, published online by the Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project (CHAMP) from November 2006 to November 2008, is available in pdf format on CHAMP’s website. Download Issue 5 – “Nothing About Us Without Us” – here. En Español: Junio … Continue reading
“Nothing About Us Without Us”: Drug users around the world organize for HIV and viral hepatitis prevention, healthcare, and human rights
by Suzy Subways, Editor, Solidarity Project JUNE 2007 • Issue 5 We know that drug use—both legal and illegal—can increase a person’s HIV risk. We also know that just quitting drug use is not a realistic option for everyone. Harm … Continue reading
Filed under Alternatives to 501c3, arts and culture, Canada, China, displacement and gentrification, Drug users' rights, economic justice, Europe, harm reduction, hepatitis, Native Americans/Indigenous peoples, New York City, people with AIDS in leadership, police repression, prison, Solidarity Project, stigma, treatment access, Uncategorized
Harm Reduction Activism in Russia
By Masha Ovchinnikova JUNE 2007 • Issue 5 Masha Ovchinnikova is an activist and project coordinator at FrontAIDS, a Russian AIDS activist group. She is a former drug user living in Moscow and has been doing harm reduction work for … Continue reading
Recovering Nepal: A National Drug Users’ Network
By Anan Pun JUNE 2007 • Issue 5 Anan Pun is the Chairperson of Recovering Nepal, a network of local drug user activist organizations throughout the Asian country of Nepal. He can be reached at ananpun (at) gmail.com. I am … Continue reading
What is a User Group?
I will define User Groups as, “A group of ex/current criminalised drug users who try to improve the quality of their lives and of their wider communities by campaigning for local and/or national drug policies, which typically work towards reducing the death, disease and (where possible) crime, related to illicit drug use.” Continue reading
Filed under Drug users' rights, harm reduction, Solidarity Project, stigma, Uncategorized
Harm Reduction and Crystal Meth
The community websites described below were created and maintained with the participation of current and former crystal users. Both sites are geared toward gay and bisexual men, but the content is relevant for anyone using or interested in understanding crystal meth. They offer a harm reduction approach, providing individuals with various tools to help them make informed personal decisions. Continue reading
