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Joyce Turner-Keller has spent the last four years coaxing her Baton Rouge, Louisiana neighbors to take HIV tests and get over their AIDS stigma through her Aspirations Holistic Tutorial Services. Now
Turner-Keller, one of POZ magazine’s 35 Ones to Watch in 2006, has a new project: putting HIV on the agenda of the 2008 presidential campaign and demanding better federal and state AIDS funding. A recent trip to Capitol Hill launched her foray into politics.
What happened when you went to Washington, DC in March? I spoke in front of the Congressional Black Caucus. One of the things I told them was about the Ryan White quilt I made. It was signed by HIV-positive people across the country who [get help] from the Ryan White CARE Act. I wanted the Caucus to see how serious AIDS is.
I stressed the importance of an increase in funds because the disease is growing [in Louisiana] and especially because of Hurricane Katrina. [Agencies and doctors] focus on testing and more people know their status. But what happens once we find out? We need treatment. And we have fewer dollars for medical care, fewer dollars for medicine and fewer doctors. It puts us in a precarious situation.
Did you think your message got across? Changes are taking place and some of those changes I would say are good, but while more money may be coming to Louisiana, other places might have cuts. How do you choose? We are seeing changes but at what cost to the consumer?
What about your ADAP (AIDS Drug Assistance Programs) work? I’m now on the board of directors of the ADAP Advocacy Association. We are trying to force the federal and state governments to start looking at ADAP and making it a priority. We want to represent all segments of the population regardless of race, creed, color, sexuality or gender. Needs are not just limited to one thing. They may be emotional, for instance. We need mental care, cervical care, housing and child care.
Which of the presidential candidates would you like to talk to if given the opportunity? Barack Obama. He’s very direct and he doesn’t really skirt around the issues. You ask him a question and he answers it. I would love to talk to him. I would also like to sit and talk with Hillary Clinton one-on-one. I would like to know her thoughts on this disease not only in the black community, but what is she going to do to fix it in the [Latino], Native American, aging and white communities? I just want to know how we’re all going to fix this problem.
What would you say to HIV-positive voters who fear their votes don’t count? Raise your voices by signing petitions on a local level to get behind a movement and get motivated. By standing up, you are not just speaking for yourself but millions of others who are standing along with you. Just know that you’re not alone—you are a part of something greater.
