Congresswoman Barbara Lee Honored with Partnership Award for Outstanding Leadership in Response to the HIV/AIDS Pandemic
The National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD) recognized Representative Barbara Lee (CA-13th District) with the Partnership Award at its 22nd Annual Meeting of state health department HIV and hepatitis program leaders last month. The meeting takes place every May in Washington, D.C. Barbara Lee is a long-standing member of the U.S. House of Representatives and has been a champion of HIV/AIDS on a variety of issues both domestic and global.
“Barbara has long been a champion of efforts to end HIV/AIDS and advance human rights here at home and abroad. Her achievements in Congress and in the HIV community are unquestionable,” noted NASTAD Executive Director Julie Scofield.
Over the years, Rep. Lee has:
- Been a key sponsor in establishing and supporting the Minority AIDS Initiative.
- Been an active member of the House Appropriations Committee, fighting for funding for both domestic and global HIV programs in her role on both the Labor-HHS and the State-Foreign Ops Subcommittees.
- Led efforts to lift the immigration ban that prevented people living with HIV from entering the U.S., which led to the return of the International AIDS Conference to the U.S.
- Co-founded and serves as Co-Chair of the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus.
- Been the only U.S. representative appointed to the UN Development Programme’s Global Commission on HIV and the Law.
- Introduced several pieces of legislation to improve the lives of people living with HIV and to help reduce new infections like the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act, the JUSTICE Act and Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Act of 2012 and co-authored legislation that created the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
“I am so honored by this award. Thank you to NASTAD for their work, and for everyone on the front lines, who each and every day are not just fighting HIV and viral hepatitis, but are also promoting love, respect, and human rights for all. Fighting against stigma and bias is a full time job, but even with the tremendous contribution from activists, advocates, and allies, our work is nowhere near finished. As long as stigma and discrimination are around us, we cannot stop. We must continue the fight for justice and an AIDS-free generation,” commented Barbara Lee upon accepting the award.
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