We the People: A Black Strategy to End the HIV Epidemic in the United States of America.

Abstract

The two previous United States presidential administrations implemented efforts to combat HIV/AIDS, recently leading to a plan to end this epidemic by 2030. Although the plan outlines a biomedical framework of key areas to address, it does not prioritize the core systemic and social issues that have caused the disease to devastate Black communities. The Black AIDS Institute (BAI) responded directly to this gap with "We the People: A Black Strategy to End HIV." BAI connected with Black community members across the country and conducted key informant interviews, held town hall meetings, and hosted a community forum in the U.S. Conference on AIDS. Based on this extensive community-level input, BAI, along with a diverse group of social justice partners, finalized the plan's strategic direction and recommendations. The efforts culminated in the "We the People" framework's four key pillars directly informing all of BAI's policy work, to include radically reimagining housing, health care, and criminalization systems that perpetuate the HIV/AIDS crisis among Black Americans. "We the People" outlines a clear path to engage policymakers and ensure all communities can effectively access and utilize the treatment and prevention advances that have the potential to soon end this epidemic..