About AIDS
Campaign to end AIDS moves to fall
By Heather Mitchell, Fri., Oct. 7, 2005
Key elements of the campaign are hundreds of local-level events and 10 cross-country caravans this fall. Hurricane Katrina, however, interfered with the planned schedule. The C2EA caravans have been postponed until mid-October, allowing organizers to focus on providing relief to HIV-positive people impacted by the disaster.
The Soul of the South caravan will pass through Austin on Wednesday, Oct. 19, and continue on to Louisiana. Texas communities are gathering supplies, which will be delivered to AIDS organizations along the route.
The caravan is now more relevant than ever. Among HIV-positive southerners, 70% live below the federal poverty line and were in crisis before Katrina. Now, people with compromised immune systems are experiencing exposure to unsanitary conditions, crowded shelters, lack of health and social services, and emotional trauma. Katrina raises social justice issues parallel to the AIDS movement.
For more information about the Campaign to End AIDS, visit www.c2ea.org; or to get involved in Austin, call 406-6107.