Activism

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Recognizes National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

“While HIV/AIDS affect people of all backgrounds, Black Americans have a higher rate of new HIV diagnoses,” said Rep. Barbara Lee. “In 2018, despite comprising just 13% of America’s population, African Americans represented 42% of all people living with HIV. After 40 years of combating this disease, we know that we cannot end this epidemic without addressing the racial injustice that prevents Black communities from receiving the medical care they deserve.

Published

4 years ago

February 12, 2022

Oakland Post

Rep. Barbara Lee. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Congress.

By Alex Katz

On Monday, Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus Co-Chair Congresswoman Barbara Lee reintroduced a resolution supporting the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which has been observed on February 7 each year since 1999.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is an opportunity to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS prevention, care, and education within Black communities. It is a day to commemorate the impact of the disease on their health and social needs, and the work that remains in overcoming structural barriers to HIV prevention and treatment for Black Americans.

“I am proud to reintroduce this important resolution to increase awareness, spark conversations, highlight the work to reduce HIV in Black or African American communities, and show support for people with and vulnerable to HIV in these communities.”

Background

In 1998, Congress and the Clinton administration created the National Minority AIDS Initiative to help coordinate funding, build capacity, and provide prevention, care, and treatment services within the African American, Hispanic, Asian Pacific Islander, and Native American communities.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was founded the following year by five national organizations to provide capacity-building assistance to Black communities and organizations.

In the years since, the National Minority AIDS Initiative has assisted with leadership development of community-based organizations (CBOs), established provider networks, built community prevention infrastructure, promoted technical assistance among CBOs, and raised awareness among African-American communities.

Goals of the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Resolution (H.Res. 911):

Continue the NBHAAD legacy of increasing awareness, sparking conversations, and highlighting the work being done to reduce HIV in Black communities in the U.S.;
Commend the work of AIDS service organizations, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, health care providers, community health centers, and health departments that are providing effective, evidence-based, prevention, treatment, care, and support services to people living with and vulnerable to HIV/AIDS;
Support effective and comprehensive HIV prevention education programs to promote the early identification of HIV through voluntary routine testing, and to connect those in need to clinically and culturally appropriate care and treatment as early as possible;
Support appropriate funding for HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment, research, and housing, including community-based approaches to fight stigma, discrimination, racism, sexism, homophobia, and transphobia; and
Encourage comprehensive prevention, treatment, and care strategies that empower public health workers, educators, faith leaders, and other stakeholders to engage their communities to help decrease violence, discrimination, and stigma toward individuals who disclose their sexual orientation, gender identity, or HIV status.

The resolution is co-sponsored by Representatives Danny K. Davis, Terri A. Sewell, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Madeleine Dean, Gwen Moore, Joyce Beatty, Don Bacon, Dina Titus, Sheila Jackson Lee, Karen Bass, David N. Cicilline, Donald M. Payne, Jr., Tony Cardenas, Nikema Williams, Adam Smith, John B. Larson, Grace Meng, Paul Tonko, Mark Takano, André Carson, Mondaire Jones, Darren Soto, Ted Deutch, Jahana Hayes, Eddie Bernice Johnson, and Lisa Blunt Rochester.

Alex Katz is a member of the press team for Congresswoman Barbara Lee.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

African Dance and Drum Circle at Rocky Graham Park

Don't Miss

LaSandra White Named Principal of Archie Williams High School

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

Published

4 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Activism

Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

2 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.