black and pink news
Volume 12, Issue 6
So many people describe this time as the “most wonderful time of year.” For anyone on the inside we know that these are times when we miss our loved ones. A time when we miss our loved ones who are no longer living. A time where we hunger for a sense of normalcy as the world is covered in snow and tinsel. I’m not going to front like “it gets better.” Nah - it’s trash and a hard time - that many just wanna get through and get past. I also know that life exists still. Even behind the walls. The urge to remove yourself from feeling the loss of the experience of the holidays the desire to block the need for family and connect out of your head hurts us in the long run. The humanity in us manifests the ache for love and care. I beg of you - don’t erase that
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from your heart. What I know to be true is that we build family and connection wherever we are and it’s valuable and necessary for us to have those connections. Your cellie. The person on the tier who you laugh with. Your people on the yard that remembers your birthday. Don’t think those aren’t powerful and important as well. So this holiday - take time to think of your biological family and what can absolutely feel like mourning and sadness of being away - and also take inventory of those who you do have and be grateful for them. And ask yourself, who am I supporting? Who are you in the world and what are you doing to make it better? Your world could be behind a fence, in your cell - maybe
you’re in seg right now or AC or PC - no matter the space it’s your world and it matters. You matter. At Black & Pink National we are so honored that you’ve chosen to be in community with us and trusted us to show up for y’all. We are continuing to adapt what showing up looks like and making sure we can be consistent and nurturing in our relationship. Happy Birthday to the November, December and January folx! (I love Sagittarius season <3) I send you love and light from Omaha, Nebraska. Happy Holidays & Happy New Year beloveds, Dominique Morgan She/Her Executive Director, Black and Pink National
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In This Issue p5 - Letter from Dominique Morgan p7 to 8 - What’s Going On With HIV/AIDS in 2021? p9 to 10 -The Build Up p11 - Reclaim Your Power: A Health Column p12 to 13 - Facing COVID in prison while living with HIV p14 to 15 - Climbing Out of Rabbit Holes p16 to 18 - To End the HIV Epidemic, Implement Proven HIV Prevention Strategies p19 to 25 - Kuwasi Balagoon Awards p26 to 29 - HIV & AIDS Advocacy Spotlight p30 - HIV Criminalization in the United States p32 to 41 - Letters From Our Inside Family p29 - Passing An Abolitionist Amendment p31 to 43- Letters and Poems From Our Inside Family p44 - 45 - Coloring Pages p47 - An Update From Black & Pink National
Cover Image by Micah Bazant courtesy of Forward Together Inside cover art by Yolanda Williams (AR)
Black & Pink News
DECEMBER 2021
Disclaimer
Statement of Purpose
The ideas and opinions expressed in Black & Pink News are solely those of the authors and artists and do not necessarily reflect the views of Black & Pink. Black & Pink makes no representations as to the accuracy of any statements made in Black & Pink News, including but not limited to legal and medical information. Authors and artists bear sole responsibility for their work. Everything published in Black & Pink News is also on the Internet—it can be seen by anyone with a computer. By sending art or written work to “Newspaper Submissions,” you are agreeing to have it published in Black & Pink News and on the Internet. In order to respect our members’ privacy, we publish only first names and state locations. We may edit submissions to fit our antioppression values and/or based on our own editing guidelines.
Black & Pink is an open family of LGBTQ prisoners and “free world” allies who support each other. Our work toward the abolition of the prison-industrial complex (PIC) is rooted in the experiences of currently and formerly incarcerated people. We are outraged by the specific violence of the PIC towards LGBTQ people, and we respond through advocacy, education, direct service, and organizing. Black & Pink is proudly a family of people of all races and ethnicities. About Black & Pink News Since 2007, Black & Pink free world volunteers have pulled together a monthly newspaper, composed primarily of material written by our family’s incarcerated members. In response to letters we receive, we send the newspaper to more prisoners every month! Black & Pink News currently reaches more than 20,000 people!
blackandpink.org WHAT'S GOING ON WITH HIV/AIDS IN 2021?
Volume 12, Issue 6
JAN '21
JUL '21
DEC '21
Cabenuva received FDA approval for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in adults to replace the current antiretroviral regimen in those who are virologically suppressed.
Illinois becomes only the second state ever to repeal HIV criminalization with the passage of House Bill 1063.
President Biden marked World AIDS Day by unveiling a new national HIV/AIDS strategy with the goal of ending the HIV epidemic by 2030.
2,000,000 20,000 1in7 7x
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Over two million people are incarcerated in the United States.
At the end of 2010, state and federal prisons held over 20,000 people living with HIV.
Each year, an estimated one in seven persons living with HIV pass through a correctional or detention facility.
In 2010, Black men had an imprisonment rate that was nearly seven times that of white men, and almost two and a half times that of Latino men.
35 14
STATES CRIMINALIZE THE BEHAVIOR OF PLWH THROUGH HIV OR STD-SPECIFIC LAWS
14
EVERYONE DESERVES CARE
STATES CRIMINALIZE BEHAVIORS WITH LOW RISK OF TRANSMITTING HIV, SUCH AS SPITTING, BITING, & ORAL SEX
STATES HAVE MAXIMUM SENTENCE LENGTHS OF 10+ YEARS & SOME STATES UP TO LIFE, EVEN WHEN PLWH TAKE MEASURES TO PREVENT TRANSMISSION
2
STATES HAVE REPEALED OUTDATED & HARMFUL HIV CRIMINALIZATION LAWS -- TEXAS (1994) & ILLINOIS (2021)
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STATES HAVE MODERNIZED HIV LAWS TO REFLECT INCREASED ACCESS TO VIRAL SUPRESSION THERAPIES
Black & Pink News WHAT'S GOING ON WITHDECEMBER 2021 HIV/AIDS IN 2021?
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D I D
Y O U
K N O W ?
O N L Y . . .
14% 30% 19% 17%
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
of state prisons met CDC best practices for HIV testing in 2020
among the 1. The first step to addressing HIV ce the redu to is ion ulat pop global prison rethinking numbers of people in prison by work, and detention for substance use, sex s. nce offe other non-violent risoned, a 2. For those who are imp shows that e enc evid of y bod substantial rams can prog on targeted HIV preventi . sion smis tran HIV ce redu reduction 3. The provision of effective harm outside of programs, both inside and ritized and prisons, must be urgently prio resourced.
of jails met CDC best practices for HIV testing in 2020 of state prisons met CDC best practices for discharge planning in 2020 of jails met CDC best practices for discharge planning in 2020
"Incarceration disrupts social support networks and jeopardizes post-release employment and housing. A criminal record compounds the discrimination and lack of opportunity already experienced by racial, sexual, and gender minorities. Failing to support evidence-based HIV prevention strategies in the criminal justice system reinforces racial inequity in HIV outcomes."
"After more than 30 years of HIV research and significant biomedical advancements to treat and prevent HIV, most HIV criminalization laws do not reflect current scientific and medical evidence. To end the HIV epidemic, public health, criminal justice, and legislative systems must work together to ensure that laws protect the community, are evidence-based and just, and support public health efforts."
Source: HealthAffairs
Source: Centers for Disease Control
A
DEEPER
LOOK
"The proportion of people in prison has grown by around 20% since the year 2000. Although data is limited, it is estimated that around 3.8% of the global prison population is living with HIV...The World Health Organization estimates prisoners are 15 times more likely to be HIV-positive than those who are not in imprisoned."
"The HIV care continuum following diagnosis increased during incarceration and declined substantially after release, often to levels lower than before incarceration. The HIV continuum is: diagnosis, linkage to care, retention in care, receipt of antiretroviral therapy (ART), and virological suppression."
Source: Avert.org
Source: National Library of Medicine
Volume 12, Issue 6
It was February 12, 2013 that I went to Bergan Mercy Hospital here in Omaha, NE with increasing episodes of visual seizures. The best way I can describe the episodes is to liken them to looking through a charcoal grill’s fire and seeing the objects on the other side somewhat distorted and seemingly jumping. These later would develop into full on grand mal seizures. While hospitalized, I was tested for a multitude of things, one of which was HIV. February 14, 2013 (that’s right, Valentine’s Day), an infectious disease doctor came into my hospital room, closed the door behind him, barely came any further into the room, and shared with me in a stark tone that my test results for HIV had come back positive. In an attempt to return the stark attitude to him, I held back my tears, waited on him to depart the room, and bawled like a baby. The news was untimely. The news was life altering. The news was shocking. Not necessarily then did I know it,
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but the news was healing. Without going into the juicy details (which I provide in my book I’m Positive, I Forgive You (How I Forgave the Man That Gave Me HIV)), life was a cluster of a mess for me as related to my self-image, self-esteem, boundary setting, knowledge of who I really was, and more. I was consistently allowing myself in relationships I had no business, viewing myself in ways that were less than what my Creator designed me to be, engaging in activities that did not agree with me at my core, and repeating this cycle over and over again. HIV shook me up. It made me realize that not only was my physical health at risk if I didn’t change some things about my life, but my spiritual, emotional, and mental health was at jeopardy as well. Sometimes life throws us circumstances and situations that shake us up enough that we have an awakening. Would I ever envision HIV for myself before my diagnosis? Absolutely not! However, I have learned to shift from a space of bitterness about the virus to a space of gratitude.
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I have learned how to not only manage HIV, but to use it as a reminder of a higher purpose, a higher sense of self, and a platform to reach others. This month we celebrate World AIDS Day. We use it as a reminder to people of the risk factors for people not living with the virus, the capability and opportunities for survival and thriving for people living with the virus, and ways in which all parties can engage in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Underneath those umbrellas, I encourage people to find the purpose, power, and platform that your painful experience can provide you. I continue to serve as Founding/Senior Pastor of Kingdom Builders Christian Center. I work in the sexual health field providing access to comprehensive sexual health education as well as reproductive and sexual health services. I continue to provide published content in the form of books, articles, trainings, etc. I continue to travel the country on account of all of the aforementioned work. I am the
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proud father of one biological son who is on schedule to graduate a semester early from high school. I am the proud mentor/adopted parent of several other young people in the community. And I am the proud grandparent of a 1 ½
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year old granddaughter whom I happen to believe is the best part of me! All things considered, my pain resulted in purpose, power, and platform. I am not simply surviving but thriving. I pray
DECEMBER 2021
that for you regardless of the specifics of pain or problem you have encountered. You can reach beyond surviving and can shift into thriving!
Raul G. (TX)
Volume 12, Issue 6
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By Brooke Monaco, Black & Pink Wellness Coordinator There’s so many reasons people miss out on important movement - exhaustion, lack of motivation, not making time or limited access. Missing movement on a daily basis deprives your body of helpful benefits, in more ways than just weight control - which should be the least important reason out of the list. It promotes better sleep, releases stress & unknown tension the body carries, boosts energy, decreases blood pressure and cholesterol, increases heart health, among many other benefits. And yes, I purposely said movement instead of exercise. All of the benefits above can be achieved through many different modalities, it doesn’t always have to be cardio, & it shouldn’t always be cardio. Vigorous activity will work up the sweat easily, but lowkey modalities (ex: yin yoga, slow flow, breathwork)
enhances circulation that flushes out toxic fluids that get caught in the lymphatic system.
movement is made a habit, the easier it is to follow through & the more you look forward to it.
So back to the original question, how to find time to incorporate movement daily? Here’s some ideas:
3. Make it Fun
1. Start First Thing in the Morning Starting first thing in the morning helps jumpstart the endorphins & also gives us less of a chance of pushing activity to the backburner. It ensures that the movement has happened, & has less of a chance of getting pushed to the side as the demands of the day take up energy & time. 2. Make it a Habit It’s always been a saying that one can create a habit in 21 days. A mere 3 weeks! Once
Like stated above, movement does not always have to be cardio. Find what works for you, your body & your mind. There are an incredible amount of modalities out there, & breaking up every day with a different type of modality can help make it fun & exciting as the new day approaches. 4. Set Realistic Goals Make it attainable in the beginning. Build up confidence & celebrate as you reach new goals & move on to the next. It also helps keep burnout & mental obstacles from happening early on.
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DECEMBER 2021
Black & Pink News
Facing COVID in prison while living with HIV: A recently released person looks at the effects of quarantine—and stigma By Robert Ehrenberg, courtesy of Positively Aware At 6:30 a.m. the bell rings in my cellblock. I swing my legs to the floor and think, F**k, I’m still in a cage. Going on 29 years with no hope of ever reentering the real world in sight, I’m now facing an invisible enemy that has no regard for human life— COVID-19. I endure another standing count. I realize I’m considered nothing more than a prisoner identification number occupying space. I wonder when the misery of confinement will end. Perhaps it will be cut short by this potentially deadly virus, resulting in my passing without ever having a chance at redemption. Nearly three decades ago, I committed a horrific crime. A robbery gone wrong resulted in felony murder and devastating grief for both a family and a community. My penalty was 50 years to life, a death-byincarceration sentence. But now a clear and present danger had reared its ugly head and my fear of never applying my skills in a real world setting is almost tangible, especially considering I was diagnosed with HIV 35 years ago. Living with HIV in prison is a challenge. Physical activity is
regulated and inconvenient, which means it’s limited. Nutrition is subpar and insufficient. But the most frightening aspect is the stigma associated with the disease. Support for immunologically compromised prisoners is often ignored, and many of us are ostracized in prison. I am U=U (undetectable equals untransmittable), and I still get mixed reactions from my peers all the time. So when the first group of prisoners to be vaccinated included the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions including HIV, many HIV-positive men made false excuses to disguise why they were among them. In the beginning, COVID-19 was taken mostly as a joke in this prison. After all, we lived in a communal setting. The occasional cough or sneeze was followed by a lighthearted “COVID!” exclamation by inmates and staff alike. Then reality struck. The virus’s spread was sporadic. There was a case in one cellblock, then another. Mask requirements were imposed. Eventually, the virus infected
the B-Block housing unit, where 12 cases were confirmed. Inmates of varying age groups were infected. Some had mild symptoms, others required hospitalization. Known cases were immediately sent to quarantine units, but some people hid their illness and continued their jobs, including in food services. Visions of Typhoid Mary weren’t inconceivable. It’s almost impossible to practice social distancing in prison. Soon, medical staff shut down B-Block entirely. Suiting up with gear that looked like something out of a science fiction movie, nursing staff descended on the cellblock and began taking temperatures. Potentiallyinfected inmates with symptoms were monitored for blood oxygen levels. All other inmates were confined to their cells. Eight inmates at a time were allotted one-hour time slots for phone and kiosk use, showers, and recreation at any given time. Family reunion programs were put on hold along with visitation privileges. Inmate programs, including college and religious gatherings, were shut down. As people came down with the coronavirus, unfair and
Volume 12, Issue 6
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It is now September. Governor Andrew Cuomo granted me clemency before he left office, and I’m expected to be released soon. But as I sit in my cell waiting for that day to arrive, I face the third wave of the virus—the delta variant. Although fully vaccinated with the Moderna vaccine, I can’t help but wonder whether I’m playing Russian roulette with an undeniable foe every time I leave my cell. The fear is back.
uncompassionate labeling emerged along with the spread of the disease. People were referred to as being “sick” or having “the monster.” This was particularly painful for those with HIV who already accepted a certain level of disgrace. This kind of stigmatization, regardless of sexual identity, should not be tolerated in any class of society
today. Over time, the infection rate abated and some restrictions were lifted just as in the outside world. A sense of normalcy returned as religious gatherings, programs, and college classes resumed. But how long will it be until we rid ourselves of this mutating threat completely?
Robert Ehrenberg, 62, is a recent college graduate and holds an associate degree in humanities and a bachelor’s degree in social science. He was serving his sentence at Sullivan Correctional Facility in New York before Governor Cuomo granted him clemency on August 23, 2021. He left prison on September 16. Ehrenberg wrote this article for Positively Aware through the Prison Journalism Project.
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DECEMBER 2021
Black & Pink News
Climbing Out of Rabbit Holes By Alice Saphire Duchene, Black & Pink Inside Member
Content Warning: Rape, abuse, manipulation I was raped. Far too many of us can say that. What far too few of us can say is that we reported it. And even fewer can say that we got tested for STIs after it happened. Why don’t we report being assaulted? Fear. Fear of the public shame. Fear of those who harmed us finding out and coming after us for “snitching.” Fear of being told its our fault. We bury it in silence. We act like it will just go away. But it doesn’t go away. The wound festers and our pain deepens. Our attackers often go on to hurt others or continue to hurt us. The guards and administrators get to act like it isn’t happening. They get to lie and say their prisons are safe. And if our attackers did infect us, our silence can kill not only us but our partners, too. For months after my assault, I lived in the same cell as the person who had hurt me. I was afraid of his connections as a drug-dealing gang member, which could see me staring down the barrel of a gun. I was afraid that the truth could damage my reputation and that others would seek me out as their victim.
As my depression deepened, I was silent. I started to lash out. I lost my job. I drove my friends away. I dumped my boyfriend because I couldn’t stand to be touched. Physical intimacy would throw me back into the night when my last bit of innocence was ripped from me. I started to hurt myself because I felt like it was my own fault and I deserved the pain. And through all of it was the fear that viral death was burning through my veins. I was withering like a flower under a bucket. Even after my abuser had paroled, I continued to spiral. I talked less and less. I couldn’t even bear people standing near me. Showering became a nightmare. Every noise had my heart racing. At its worst, I was curled into a ball on the floor, barely able to hold in the screams. So many of us do this. In any of a million variants. We hide the pain. We bury it. But burying turns it into a seed, one sprouting thorny vines and twisted flowers that turn into poisonous fruit. These vines shred our souls and the fruit’s toxins saturate our hearts. But for some of us, it takes time to learn. As time went on, I blamed the place for constantly reminding me of what had happened. I managed to get a
transfer. But I quickly learned that fleeing would not make my pain go away. For my pain was in me, not a place. Soon I was barely able to leave my cell and every man seemed another potential assailant. And still, my biggest fear, the twist in my gut was the wonder of whether or not I had HIV/AIDS. All I knew about it was rumors and gossip. It all came to a head a couple of months after the transfer. A caseworker accused me of being hysterical and paranoid. My response was “Of course I am! You would be too if you’d been raped!” The statement was greeted by stunned silence. It was out. Security and PREA-trained staff interviewed me. I told them that it happened but didn’t ask to be tested. I was still hiding from what I could be. More time passed. I confided in friends. I spoke with a therapist. I read articles about HIV/AIDS in old issues of the Black & Pink Newsletter. Finally, I spoke with my endocrinologist and made the decision to get tested. A week later, I had an answer. I won’t say the result. That’s not the point. Because if I have the big A or the lesser H, that wouldn’t mean my life is over. There are treatments and ways to keep my partners safe.
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I share my experience for two reasons. The first is to give validity to this statement: Silence only empowers those who have and would harm us. Speak up and be heard. And second, I ask everyone to get tested. Conditions know no race, gender or creed. If we care about our partners, if we care about ourselves, then honesty will give us hope for tomorrow. If you are reading this then we are alive, even if it doesn’t feel like it. And if we are alive, then there is hope. And if there is hope, we can find joy. You are not alone. You have value. You Are Loved
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Black & Pink News
DECEMBER 2021
To End The HIV Epidemic, Implement Proven HIV Prevention Strategies In The Criminal Punishment System By Daniel Teixeira da Silva and Chethan Bachireddy, courtesy of Health Affairs Criminal justiceinvolved populations are disproportionately affected by HIV. In the US, one in seven people living with HIV leaves a correctional facility each year. Marginalized populations are at increased risk of both HIV infection and incarceration, and this dual risk is amplified among communities of color. The 2021–2025 HIV National Strategic Plan—released in January 2021 by the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/ AIDS Policy in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—recognizes the overarching impact of the criminal justice system on the HIV epidemic and includes objectives to increase the capacity of correctional settings to diagnose and treat HIV. However, the plan overlooks the role of HIV prevention strategies within correctional settings. Two such evidence-based strategies—medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP)—are the focus of this blog post. Ending the HIV epidemic will require a comprehensive plan to prevent HIV among people most impacted by the criminal justice system. Besides the HIV National Strategic Plan— which serves as a roadmap for
HHS’s cross-agency initiative to reduce new HIV infections by 90 percent by 2030—there have been some efforts to understand and address the HIV epidemic in the criminal justice system. In 2009, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released HIV testing and discharge planning guidance for correctional settings. Subsequently, national multi-site trials—EnhanceLink and the HIV Services and Treatment Implementation in Corrections trial, funded by the Human Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, respectively—provided evidence of the feasibility of HIV testing in correctional settings and linkage to community HIV care services post-release. In 2020, the HRSA’s Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program convened an expert panel to address the needs of people living with HIV in prisons and jails, highlighting the importance of access to medication during incarceration and linkages to community providers at release. Despite these efforts, in a national survey, only 14 percent of state prisons and 30 percent of jails met CDC best practices for HIV testing, and only 19 percent of state prisons and 17 percent of jails met CDC best practices for discharge planning.
Jails and prisons are the only settings in which courts have recognized a constitutionally protected right to health care in the US. Although the criminal justice system has historically failed to deliver adequate health care, incarceration may be a platform to improve outcomes among populations most affected by the twin epidemics of incarceration and HIV. Implementing evidence-based HIV prevention strategies in correctional settings is key to preventing HIV transmission among marginalized communities. Populations At Risk For HIV Infection Are Disproportionately Affected By The Criminal Justice System Transgender women, Black women, Black men who have sex with men, and people who inject drugs are disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system and identified as priority populations by the HIV National Strategic Plan. The contribution of incarceration to the HIV epidemic is most profound among low-income Black communities and is a stark example of how structural racism leads to worse health outcomes. Although Black Americans
Volume 12, Issue 6
are less likely to use drugs compared to their white counterparts, Black Americans are five times more likely to be incarcerated for a drug offense. Nearly one in five transgender women experience incarceration in their lifetime, and Black transgender women are three times more likely to be incarcerated compared to their white counterparts. While incarcerated, more than one-third of Black transgender women report being sexually assaulted. The HIV epidemic in the US is concentrated among Black men who have sex with men, who have a lifetime risk of HIV diagnosis of one in two, compared to one in 11 among their white counterparts. Racial disparities are also stark among transgender women, with an estimated HIV prevalence of 44.2 percent among Black transgender women compared to 6.7 percent among their white counterparts. More than half of Black men who have sex with men are likely to have experienced incarceration in their lifetime, and criminal justice involvement among Black men may also contribute to HIV infection among Black cisgender women in the community setting. Incarceration disrupts social support networks and jeopardizes post-release employment and housing. A criminal record compounds the discrimination and lack of opportunity already experienced by racial, sexual, and gender minorities. The criminal justice system has
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been a cornerstone of structural racism since the end of the Jim Crow era and has significantly contributed to racial inequity in HIV outcomes. The lifetime risk of HIV diagnosis among Black men is one in 20 and among Black women is one in 48, compared to one in 132 for white men and one in 880 for white women. Strengthening HIV services in correctional settings will not only improve HIV outcomes among priority populations identified by the HIV National Strategic Plan but will also advance the overarching goal of reducing health inequity. Medication For Opioid Use Disorder More than one in six male inmates, and one in four female inmates, regularly use opioids prior to incarceration, and the risk of fatal overdose increases up to 129-fold among recently released prisoners. Current evidence supports providing MOUD in correctional settings; starting MOUD during incarceration can significantly reduce the risk of overdose, reduce injectionrelated HIV risk behaviors, and increase community treatment engagement postrelease. Providing MOUD prior to release and incorporating MOUD into re-entry programs has been associated with HIV viral load suppression after re-entry, decreasing the risk of transmission among people who inject drugs and communities disproportionately impacted by incarceration.
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Despite such evidence and the recommendations of federal agencies within HHS and the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, the importance of MOUD in correctional settings is missing from the HIV National Strategic Plan. This omission reinforces inequity in HIV outcomes among Black communities more likely to experience incarceration and threatens to stymie efforts to end the HIV epidemic. In its report “Use of MedicationAssisted Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder in Correctional Settings,” the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration details six areas to enhance delivery of MOUD in the criminal justice system: 1) overcoming stigma; 2) addressing threats to safety and security; 3) advancing staff knowledge and skills; 4) covering the cost of MOUD; 5) establishing MOUD providers in correctional institutions; and 6) building partnerships with community-based treatment. The report includes several examples of successful MOUD programs in the criminal justice system across county and state settings that could have informed the HIV National Strategic Plan. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis HIV transmission during incarceration is more likely to occur among Black inmates and men who have sex with men, and it is also associated with prison tattooing. Despite the elevated risk of HIV transmission within jails and prisons, most
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inmates do not have access to methods to prevent HIV infection, such as clean needles, condoms, and, vitally, daily PrEP, which prevents up to 99 percent of HIV transmission from sex and more than 70 percent of HIV transmission from intravenous drug use. In fact, PrEP has yet to be implemented in any correctional setting. Barriers to implementing PrEP in correctional settings may include lack of knowledge among clinicians, HIV-related stigma in correctional settings, and inability of some facilities to run laboratory tests for HIV, kidney function, hepatitis B antibodies, and other indicators of disease. Fortunately, best practices for corrections-based provision of PrEP are being developed. Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein and colleagues detail a path toward implementing PrEP for people involved in the criminal justice system that includes providing training to criminal justicebased clinicians, developing standards and protocols specific to criminal justice settings, and identifying best practices within correctional facilities. In a study evaluating PrEP knowledge among 417 inmates, only 12 percent knew about PrEP, but 25 percent were interested in initiating PrEP; thus, a clear starting point for implementing medical HIV prevention within the criminal justice system is HIV education. If integrated into the criminal justice system, the benefits of PrEP may continue post-release. Recently released people who inject drugs are more likely to
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experience HIV infection. The communities that inmates return to post-release experience higher rates of HIV incidence. Black Americans face further barriers to HIV prevention and are seven times less likely to have a prescription for PrEP compared to white Americans. Next-generation PrEP formulations, such as longacting injectable cabotegravir, could be an important approach to providing HIV prevention during community reentry. However, people involved in the criminal justice system will not benefit from advances in PrEP if implementation of HIV prevention strategies within jails and prisons is not a policy priority. The Roadmap To Ending The HIV Epidemic Goes Through Jails And Prisons Charting the course for ending the HIV epidemic must include county and state correctional facilities as stakeholders to successfully implement HIV prevention programs in jails and prisons. Non-medical HIV prevention strategies, such as condoms and clean needles, are supported by decades of evidence but have failed to become widely available in the criminal justice system. Without federal support and funding, medical HIV prevention strategies, such as MOUD and PrEP, will meet the same fate. More than a decade of research has demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of HIV prevention in correctional settings. Today,
DECEMBER 2021
incarceration continues to play a central role in accelerating the HIV epidemic. Failing to support evidence-based HIV prevention strategies in the criminal justice system reinforces racial inequity in HIV outcomes. The new HIV National Strategic Plan, which will define federal HIV policy through 2025, has opened the door to implementing HIV prevention services in jails and prisons by including an objective focused on increasing the capacity of correctional settings to diagnose and treat HIV. However, an additional step must now be taken to support the evidencebased implementation of PrEP and MOUD in correctional settings. Federal agencies, such as the HRSA or the CDC, should update their guidelines for HIV testing to include PrEP and provide recommendations for integrating MOUD into HIV treatment and prevention services in correctional settings. Additionally, the Biden administration and Congress could support increased funding for implementation of HIV prevention in the criminal justice system. The challenge of implementing MOUD and PrEP across the diversity of US correctional settings is formidable and will require robust leadership, expertise, funding, and partnership at the federal, state, and local levels. The scope and suffering of the HIV epidemic demands action, and we must use every tool and strategy at our disposal.
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KUWASI
BALAGOON AWARDS
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Each year, Black & Pink News seeks to honor people thriving with HIV/AIDS with our Kuwasi Balagoon award. Kuwasi Balagoon was a New Afrikan anarchist and organizer who died from AIDS-related illnesses while incarcerated.
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This year's winners embody his revolutionary spirit and plans for liberation.
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DECEMBER 2021
Black & Pink News
KUWASI BALAGOON AWARDS HONOREE: DANIEL J. DOWNER Daniel J. Downer (he/him) is a community advocate, facilitator, and speaker with a long history of advocating for Black and Brown LGBTQ+, racial, and social movements in Central Florida. He is the Executive Director of The Bros in Convo Initiative, a community organization in Orlando educating and empowering young Black gay, bisexual, and queer people. Daniel combines his lived experience with his educational and professional expertise to create movement in addressing diversity, equity, health equity, HIV, inclusion, and LGBTQ+ issues impacting marginalized communities locally, regionally, and nationally. He is the creator of The Black Boardroom Leadership Institute, Central Florida’s first leadership co-op that will offer leadership training, facilitate non-profit board of director seat invitations, and educate local non-profits on how to build a culture that ensures all board members have a voice at the table, not just a seat on the roster.
What are the most prominent, unexpected barriers that most folks wouldn’t know about?
it is through community gardens, community shared agriculture (CSA) initiatives, or health and nutrition programs/initiatives; eliminating the barrier of food insecurity is a crucial increasing the health outcomes of individuals living with HIV.
honest conversations about HIV. Encourage individuals living with HIV to get into HIV care, and support them in staying adherent to their HIV care regimen. Mostly, see them, not their HIV and reassure them that HIV is a manageable health condition and not a death sentence.
Food insecurity significantly impacts the health outcomes of those living with HIV. Many communities of color are in areas where access to affordable, healthy food options (especially What are some ways that fresh fruits and vegetables) is someone not living with HIV/ Can you share one way for me to ACADEMIC ATTAINMENT restricted or nonexistent due AIDS can emotionally support be an ally in a more concrete and to the absence of or limited their friends who Birch are living with way? Theater Arts meaningful School number of grocery stores within HIV/AIDS? BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS IN THEATER ARTS, 2011 convenient traveling distance. Educate yourself on the facts - Minored in Stage Production And for the grocery stores in Ask from a place of curiosity and about HIV and the fiction about - President of Birch Improv Group communities of color, there not confrontation.- Respect by HIV. Marketing This willSociety empower you Treasurer of the Birch Junior usually is a smaller selection actively listening and clearing your to share your knowledge with - Member of the BTAS Dance Troupe of healthy food options. Food mind of assumptions, biases, and those around you making it Caprio Prep Schoolmore comfortable to speak up insecurity is associated with judgments. Connect by following SPECIAL SKILLS VALEDICTORIAN A 3.8 OF 2007 decreased HIV care adherence through and fulfilling your promise WITH when youGPA, hear CLASS misconceptions Myreduced special skills includeCD4 singing, and baseline cellbeatboxing, to tap support those living withofHIV. about HIV - President the CPS Dramatics Club and those living CONTACT DETAILS: dancing, ballet, and ballroom dancing. I can also - Participated and won inwith the interschool debate count in individuals living with HIV helping tochampionships breakdown speak English, andfor French - Managing school yearbook HIV. IHome: think it isMandarin, important HIVfluently. How can healthcare workerseditor bestof thethe misinformation and stigma 123-456-7890 service providers to find ways support individuals living with surrounding HIV. Cell: 123-456-7890 @reallygreatsite they Facebook/Instagram/Twitter: can incorporate the right to HIV/AIDS? food hello@reallygreatsite.com as a basic right within their www.reallygreatsite.com approach framework. Whether Be available to have open, (continued on page 25) 123 Anywhere St., Any City
Volume 12, Issue 6
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KUWASI BALAGOON AWARDS HONOREE: PASTOR DARRYL BROWN, JR. Pastor Darryl Brown, Jr. is the Founding/Senior Pastor of Kingdom Builders Christian Center of Omaha, NE (2009) as well as the Manager of African American & Latinx Education at Planned Parenthood. As an author, sexual health educator, and spiritual life coach and teacher, his work is at the intersection of spirituality & healing, black advocacy, and LGBTQ+ identities. Brown’s most recent work, I’m Positive, I Forgive You (How I Forgave the Man That Gave Me HIV) candidly reveals how he navigated his shocking HIV diagnosis and after four years, made the decision to forgive. Seeing the total person “living their best life” is the desired outcome of all of Pastor Brown’s work.
What did you wish more people understood about what it’s like to be living with HIV/AIDS in 2021? I wish people understood how much they do not know about HIV/AIDS and more specifically, what personally living with the virus amidst people’s lack of knowledge feels like. Stigma concerning HIV is not often an “over there” observation, but is a lived experience for me. People still associate my weight and other aspects of my total health to be directly tied to HIV and that quite simply is not the case. While there are experiences that are specific to living with HIV, there are also “normal” health experiences that are totally unrelated!
as well. This knowledge should inform their approach to patients. Unfortunately, I have been on the receiving end of stigmatizing conversations with doctors and other medical professionals and it is rooted in a lack of knowledge.
that still may not know. If my interaction with them warrants, I share early so that we can get that info out of the way. If they are going to jump ship as a result of that disclosure, I would rather it happen earlier than later.
Do you have any tips or strategies for telling someone you’re close with that you are living with HIV/AIDS?
Can you share one way for me to be an ally in a more concrete and meaningful way?
Educate yourself and be willing When possible, I believe early to confront others’ ignorance ACADEMIC ATTAINMENT notification is best. That being and stigma. It is emotional labor said, it is also important to for people living with HIV to Birch Arts School recognize that safety may Theater be of always have to be the one to BACHELOR OF FINE ARTSHaving IN THEATER ARTS,in2011 great concern for individuals. do that. others assist Minored in Stage Production Additionally, revealing HIV that endeavor lightens that load! - President Group status is not something that of Birch Improv Additionally, when engaging - Treasurer of the Birch Junior Marketing Society should be required as it is not the in conversations or care or - Member of the BTAS Dance Troupe sole responsibility of someone education about the topic or How can healthcare workers best living with HIV to beCaprio the “sexual about people living with HIV, Prep School support individuals living with protector” of all parties. Everyone always center them first! SPECIAL SKILLS VALEDICTORIAN WITH A 3.8 GPA, CLASS OF 2007 HIV/AIDS? must conduct themselves in a My special skills include singing, beatboxing, tap President of the CPS Dramatics Club manner that is most- safe for them. What’s one (or your favorite) CONTACT DETAILS: dancing, ballet, and ballroom dancing. I can also - Participated and won in the interschool debate championships It is just as important for My experience has been to share way you have seen yourself grow speak English, Mandarin, and French fluently. - Managing editor of the school yearbook Home: workers 123-456-7890 healthcare to be with people early and only as I see since your diagnosis? Cell: 123-456-7890 educated on not just the science necessary. With the book being Facebook/Instagram/Twitter: @reallygreatsite of HIV, but things related to out, my status is more commonly (continued on page 25) hello@reallygreatsite.com stigma and lived experiences known, but there are people www.reallygreatsite.com 123 Anywhere St., Any City
KUWASI BALAGOON AWARDS HONOREE: MORRIS SINGLETARY Morris Singletary is a fearless HIV advocate, organizer and public health professional with specific expertise in the area of HIV peer education, storytelling, social media and public health in the Atlanta and Southern United States. He uses his voice to educate and engage young Black men who have sex with men into HIV care. He is social media pioneer and guru, using online techniques to educate and engage the masses on HIV-related topics.
How can healthcare workers best support individuals living with HIV/AIDS? Care with love. Don’t get into this for a paycheck. This is more than a major, this is CARE. What are your hopes or vision for the future? A cure, that’s it. My hope for the future is a cure for HIV. What are some legislative/policy proposals that we should fight for to materially affirm the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS? Any new HIV med that comes out and is FDA approved should
automatically be added to every state’s ADAP (AIDS Drug Assistance Program) Formulary. The power of choice for meds is important; the coverage for that choice makes the difference of adherence and the saving of lives.
another place of growth...LOVE What’s one (or your favorite) way you have seen yourself grow since your diagnosis?
In my beginning I was worried and concerned about my health. I am What advice do you wish you now healthy and active enough to got earlier, or has helped you the make sure I look after the health, most? education, and access to care and prevention for others. The growth You are not Dirty. The day I got is I went from 23 pills to no pills, I diagnosed I felt filthy inside and am on the once a month shot. The outside. To be honest with you I growth is me sharing my struggle ACADEMIC still get those feelings today. Say ATTAINMENT and story is now something used affirmations daily! Lastly, GOD to make life and policies better for Theater Arts others. School still LOVES YOU. IBirch felt without BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS IN THEATER ARTS, 2011 love on that day. That came from Minored in Stage many places. Now- here I am readyProduction President for romantic love. -This is yetof Birch Improv Group
SPECIAL SKILLS My special skills include singing, beatboxing, tap CONTACT DETAILS: dancing, ballet, and ballroom dancing. I can also speak English, Mandarin, and French fluently. Home: 123-456-7890 Cell: 123-456-7890 Facebook/Instagram/Twitter: @reallygreatsite hello@reallygreatsite.com www.reallygreatsite.com 123 Anywhere St., Any City
- Treasurer of the Birch Junior Marketing Society - Member of the BTAS Dance Troupe
Caprio Prep School VALEDICTORIAN WITH A 3.8 GPA, CLASS OF 2007 - President of the CPS Dramatics Club - Participated and won in the interschool debate championships - Managing editor of the school yearbook
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KUWASI BALAGOON AWARDS HONOREE: TORI COOPER Tori Cooper (she, her, hers) is a Health & Equity Consultant, CDC subject matter expert, educator, published author and leader in the transgender and HIV communities who recently was honored as one of the most influential LGBTQ Georgians by OUT Georgia. She leads with more than 30 years of experience of HIV service and is founder of her own consulting agency, Advocates for Better Care Atlanta, LLC. She is the Human Rights Campaign’s Director of Community Engagement for the Transgender Justice Initiative. In this role, her focus includes economic empowerment, capacity building programs, public safety and expanding public education campaigns. Ms. Cooper was recently sworn in as Special Government Employee to the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) which provides recommendations to the Biden-Harris Administration. In 2021, Tori was recognized by POZ magazine as one of 100 top Black advocates and The Advocate as one of its Advocates of the Year.
What are the most prominent, unexpected barriers that most folks wouldn’t know about?
lump everybody that’s not white into one category is demeaning, minimizing and inappropriate for so many reasons.
the lived experience of PLWHAs. Healthcare should not be a DO this and NOT DO that approach. It really is a cooperative relationship that’s guided by trust. If I trust a healthcare worker has my best interest at heart, then I am more willing to take their advice. And if they trust that I will follow their advice, then they will be more willing to communicate with me.
One of the most prominent barriers is institutional racism. How can healthcare workers best Having attended predominantly support individuals living with white grade schools and then, HIV/AIDS? with INTENTION, attending an HBCU, I was able to see Black Healthcare workers is a really vast brilliance outside of my family. term. First let me say that there There were folks who spoke other are some incredibly undervalued languages, wore different styles healthcare workers who are ACADEMICWhat ATTAINMENT of clothes and many who were in the trenches with PLWHA, are your hopes or vision for queer. The one thing we all had day in and day out. There are the future? Birch Theater Arts School in common was our Blackness. school nurses, community BACHELOR OF My FINE ARTS The world doesn’t appreciate our health workers (CHWs) LPNs, hope for IN theTHEATER future is aARTS, 2011 Minored in Stage community Production of empowered Black Blackness and we are seeing very CNAs, phlebotomists, -patient President Improv Group targeted actions to whitewash the advocates and PEERS -who are of Birchpeople and other POC, who are - Treasurer Junior same educational institutions that doing amazing work with not of the Birch visible andMarketing proud ofSociety their heritage Member of the BTAS Dance Troupe are responsible for educating us. enough recognition. I suggest and culture. My personal vision is And there are folks who want to that all providers practice greater to own an apartment complex for Caprio Prep School forget 400 years of history, just cultural humility in their work. T and LGBQ seniors where they SPECIAL SKILLS 3.8 GPA, CLASS because it makes them feel bad Two guiding principlesVALEDICTORIAN are the canWITH spendAtheir golden years OF in 2007 My special skills include singing, beatboxing, tap - President Dramatics Club about their relatives. Imagine commitment to lifelong learningof the CPS peace. CONTACT DETAILS: dancing, ballet,us and ballroom can also - Participated how that makes feel aboutdancing. Iand critical self-reflection. With and won in the interschool debate championships speak English, The Mandarin, and French - Managing OUR relatives? fact that the fluently. these two at the center of the editor of the school yearbook Home: 123-456-7890 term POC is so widely used to work, HCWs give more value to Cell: 123-456-7890 (continued on page 25) Facebook/Instagram/Twitter: @reallygreatsite hello@reallygreatsite.com www.reallygreatsite.com
Page 24
DECEMBER 2021
Black & Pink News
KUWASI BALAGOON AWARDS HONOREE: THRIVE SUPPORT SERVICES THRIVE Support Services is a 501c3 agency that provides support and linkage to culturally affirming and compassionate care for Black same-gender-loving men with HIV.
What does your organization feel is missing in terms of larger community support for people living with HIV/AIDS?
the agency and in partnership across the landscape is helping to normalize HIV by eradicating the stigma and misinformation.
We think the larger community is missing the education and awareness needed to facilitate empathy and compassion for PLWH. Due to the hyper focus on “how people contract HIV” e.g., sex, drug use, and our judgments attached to those activities, the larger community feels they have the right to cast judgment on those who live with HIV. Had they been provided to lens of awareness to see that there are certain determining factors that make one more likely to contract HIV they would be better prepared to support those of us living and THRIVING with it.
How can people, in Atlanta and beyond, support your work?
AIDS? The best way to support anyone especially PLWH is by creating safety and spaces for them to be fully who they are. Understand that PLWH are not a monolith, we are varied and have a myriad of experiences. Listen to what we are expressing that we need and respond is ways that are compassionate, useful, humanizing and healing.
People can support the work of THRIVE by, of course, donating and providing the financial support that is so valuable to agencies like ours, but beyond that supporting Black people especially Black SGL men What’s one of your favorite ways living with and without HIV in your organization has grown to connecting to support, community better support folks in Atlanta and the resources needed to living with HIV/AIDS? assure we can thrive. We have a ACADEMIC ATTAINMENT national network for Black SGL My favorite way that we men living with HIV and an app to support Birch Theater have Arts grown School for Black SGL men that they be our communities is in the BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS IN THEATER ARTS, 2011 shared with friends and loved implementation of community - Minored in Stage Production ones. We always appreciate the suggestions and ideas. Everything - President of Birch Improv Group What is your organization’s support of our programs and from our App, The Silver Lining - Treasurer of the Birch Junior Marketing Society dream or vision for the future for initiatives that are geared at selfProject, to Troupe the documentaries - Member of the BTAS Dance people living with HIV/AIDS in love and acceptance for Black SGL we film has been suggested or Atlanta? men and the Black community at School requested by the community. Caprio Prep SPECIAL SKILLS large. WeWITH feel this helps to CLASS guarantee VALEDICTORIAN A 3.8 GPA, OF 2007 THRIVE’s dream and vision for community support and buy-in. My special skills include singing, beatboxing, tap - President of the CPS Dramatics Club PLWH in Atlanta and beyond is What are some ways that people CONTACT DETAILS: dancing, ballet, and ballroom dancing. I can also - Participated and won in the interschool debate championships thatspeak theyEnglish, achieveMandarin, the equity and not living with HIV/AIDS can and French fluently. - Managing editor of the school yearbook dignityHome: they 123-456-7890 deserve. We hope emotionally support their loved Cell: 123-456-7890 that the work we are doing within ones who are living with HIV/ Facebook/Instagram/Twitter: @reallygreatsite hello@reallygreatsite.com www.reallygreatsite.com
Volume 12, Issue 6
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(Daniel J. Downer continued from page 17)
(Pastor Darryl Brown Jr. continued from page 18)
What are some legislative/policy proposals that we should fight for to materially affirm the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS?
HIV was an area of emotional, mental, spiritual and even physical pain (considering some of the chain reactions my body was initially having). My growth is reflected in my current ability to use HIV as a means of accessing purpose, power, and platform in my life. It is no longer a source of shame, fear, isolation, othering, etc. It, in a very odd way, is no longer viewed as a curse, but rather a blessing. It is an addition to my testimony, my story of overcoming and pressing forward both in spite of and as a result of! I now have HIV, it no longer has me!
The modernization of outdated HIV-specific laws that work against public health policies, perpetuate the stigma of HIV, and discourage people from knowing their HIV status. Many of these laws continue to be used against people living with HIV and ignores biomedical advances that prevent people living with HIV from transmitting HIV to their negative partners or any preventative measures taken by either party. Modernizing HIV statues, reduces the stigma against people living with HIV, and as a result increases the number people getting tested, treated, and to undetectable status leading us one step closer to ending the HIV epidemic.
(Tori Cooper continued from page 20)
Can you share one way for me to be an ally in a more concrete and meaningful way? DO SOMETHING! We all have a role to play in achieving equity. Some people are much better at writing checks than marching in protests. Whatever you do, do it will and with intention. What are some legislative/policy proposals that we should fight for to materially affirm the lives of people living with HIV/AIDS? There are a number of policies
Page 25
that we should fight for. Two of the most critical are the Equality Act, which in part, provides the most comprehensive legal protections for Trans and LGBQ people in public accommodations. The second is HIV Criminalization laws need to be changed. We cannot say that we trust science about COVID, the flu shot and chemotherapy, but then not trust science when it comes to Undetectable Equals Untransmittable. Even before U=U was scientifically proven, PLWHAs and their serodiscordant sex partners have been proving it for years. The law needs to recognize that if a person living with HIV maintains an undetectable viral load for six consecutive months, then they cannot pass HIV along to their sexual partners. Science has proven it time and time again. What advice do you wish you got earlier, or has helped you the most? The advice I wish I had gotten earlier is from Ecclesiastes 9:11 which reads in part, “…that the race is not to the swift and the battle is not to the strong, and neither is bread to the wise nor riches to those of intelligence and understanding nor favor to men of ability; but time and chance overtake them all.” In other words, you can be fast, strong, smart, rich and able-bodied, but without patience and some good fortune from true success comes from hard work, the Universe and folks willing to help you along the journey.
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HIV & AIDS ADVOCACY SPOTLIGHT Black & Pink News
DECEMBER 2021
There are many people and organizations around the world who are working to end HIV/AIDS. Through activism, lobbying, public education, outreach, media, and providing input to scientists and health officials, these advocates are spreading the idea that individuals can make real change happen. These two amazing advocates in Milwaukee, WI are committed to getting the rate of new HIV infections to Zero and ending the dangerous stigmas surrounding HIV/AIDS.
ELLE HALO SHE/HER MILWAUKEE, WI INCLUSION SPECIALIST FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF WI & HEALTH EQUITY ADVOCATE
Q: What do you want people to know during HIV/AIDS Awareness Month? Elle: "We are on our way to ending the epidemic. It’s realistic and possible. You don’t have to live in stigma and fear. I want people to be leaders in their love lives and sex lives and making the best choices for them and explore their prevention options. Now we are the the headliners, directors, and authors of our own stories."
Q: How does HIV/AIDS affect you and your community?
Elle: "With the way that we are socialized as queer and trans people, the message is always all about the tragic outcomes or homelessness or criminalization or assault we will have to face as an inevitability in our lives. This is not true. That narrative leaves the community with a sense of helplessness of recklessness. Even if I make the right decision for me, will that be respected? If I change certain habits or live the way I like to, would it affect the whole picture?"
Q: How can folks impacted by HIV/AIDS best be supported?
Elle: "Having community and chosen family show them with sincere acts that they’re not alone. By putting queer and trans people of color in the top leadership positions in prevention and care. By investing in our frontline workers and educators. By spreading messages of U=U. By increasing PrEP access and navigation. We need a lot of sexual health education to combat stigma and ignorance."
Q: How is HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention connected to abolition? Elle: "I think that real abolition is about unlearning the promise or psychological trap that any of our systems work well. We need to build and create a new structure into a world and society that we all would actually want to be a part of and be valued and be safe and be housed and have healthcare. We don't have to deal with things the way that they are. We don't have to live in a world with police. We don't have to accept the losses of the HIV epidemic or other health disparities as being finite and being something that we don't have the ability to impact. The way that it is we are over-policing. We are incarcerating whole families and stunting generational wealth and growth and access.”
Volume 12, Issue 6
HIV & AIDS ADVOCACY SPOTLIGHT blackandpink.org
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Q: What messages do you have for trans women or femmes who are currently inside? Elle: "You are still a queen no matter where you are in your journey. You are valuable, you are whole and complete, and there is nothing wrong with you or your transition. Life don't just have to be determined by the things we have been through in the past or the voice of doubt that come when we try to make changes. Your trans woman today is not your momma's trans woman! We have more access and we are taking positions and becoming leadership in different fields. The whole Community is a part of that and for our trans women who are incarcerated, there will be work for you to do and work for you to be a part of regardless of what surviving right now looks like."
Elle: "I also want to say something about trans women and our trauma. There are people fighting for you. I know as a trans woman that my sisters who have been incarcerated or even those of us that have had legal battles or face incarceration are dealing with a lot of institutionalization, a lot of mental and psychological trauma, and wanton abuse and physical abuse and sexual assault and harassment while they're inside. You don't deserve that and that there are people working to change that too. We need people who have been incarcerated and trans women who have been incarcerated to be part of developing new strategies and solutions to protect us, both inside and outside. Being separated from the general population or being secluded or placed in solitary confinement are torture tactics--these are not saving us. The position that led you to be there are positions that we have all had to face. You are not alone in having had to face them or having had to deal with the outcome of facing them. It can happen to anyone who is as structurally powerless as we are."
HIV & AIDS ADVOCACY SPOTLIGHT There are many people and organizations around the world who are working to end HIV/AIDS. Through activism, lobbying, public education, outreach, media, and providing input to scientists and health officials, these advocates are spreading the idea that individuals can make real change happen. These two amazing advocates in Milwaukee, WI are committed to getting the rate of new HIV infections to Zero and ending the dangerous stigmas surrounding HIV/AIDS.
RONNIE GRACE HE/HIM MILWAUKEE, WI LEAD PEER NAVIGATOR FOR DIVERSE & RESILIENT
Q: What do you want people to know during HIV/AIDS Awareness Month?
Ronnie: "The conversations have definitely changed in the last 15 years because of the new interventions and new medications, but a lot of people are fearful still."
Q: How does HIV/AIDS affect you and your community?
Ronnie: "Our community was devastated by HIV and we are still struggling. Young men of color in the southern states still have the highest burden of HIV infections and it’s sad because stigma keeps people from even going and getting into care. A client of mine went into a clinic and saw a security guard he thought he knew from school. He did a turn around and would never go there again because she might out him. I pick up his meds and put them in a sandwich bag and get his labs somewhere else and send them to the clinic. We can work with anyone to get them the care they need, how they need it. "
Q: How can folks impacted by HIV/AIDS best be supported?
Ronnie: We have so many options for treatment and care. HIV is no longer a death sentence. People can live full healthy lives and thrive. Stigma is the killer. I can’t tell you how many clients I’ve worked with when it comes to medication and doctors appointments so I'm telling you there are people out there to help you. We need to keep putting the messages out and keep doing campaigns featuring people living with HIV so that people with HIV can see people who look like them who are living and thriving."
Q: What have you learned from your 35+ years of living with HIV?
Ronnie: "I am a vessel for people as far as navigating HIV. My activism and HIV are part of my life. It fills me. But the system is not designed to take care of people the way we need to be taken care of. People of color get less care than other people and historically this has been the situation. Hopefully the powers that be will see how important this is. Until then, this injustice has kept the fire burning in me. I used to wonder why I’ve lost so many good friends and loved ones. I ask myself how come I’m still here and so many men I was friends with in LA where I’m from are gone? The universe was not ready to let me go so now I’m here to do the work I’m doing."
HIV & AIDS ADVOCACY SPOTLIGHT An excerpt from "Hope Found: Advancements in awareness and treatments have helped MKE-area HIV patients extend their lives significantly." Originally published on mkelifestyle.com by Terry Schuster - November 18th, 2021 When Ronnie Grace was diagnosed with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in 1986, at first he was in denial. At the time, he was living in Los Angeles and was in the process of relocating to Atlanta. When he first received the news, the stigma associated with HIV was difficult to overcome — and he was afraid to seek help. After years of living with HIV, Grace began to experience health issues now commonly known as opportunistic infections (which occur more often in people with weakened immune systems), including shingles, boils, and drastic weight loss. Dentists refused to treat him. Grace became overwhelmed with depression and he attempted suicide. Fortunately, through the help of family and friends, he survived, and he returned to Milwaukee for HIV treatment. “My family cleaned out my wounds, loved me and saved my life. I probably would have died within months,” Grace recalls. “I had no T cells left.” (T cells or CD4 cells are a type of white blood cell in the immune system that fights off infection. A person’s CD4 or T cell count is an indicator of immune functioning.)
His supportive mother kept him on a treatment plan that helped him slowly improve. Intrigued by the effectiveness of medications, Grace was hungry to learn more; his passion fueled his desire to help and encourage others to seek treatment, too.
As part of the PNP awareness campaign, Grace has appeared in several anti-stigma campaigns, which included billboards, buses, and social media outlets. Grace is a staunch advocate in raising awareness that those infected with HIV can live a long, prosperous, meaningful life and constantly advocates to patients. He’ll FaceTime with them and take medications with them virtually as a show of support.
It’s a remarkable turnaround story: Grace is now the lead coordinator for Milwaukee’s HIV Peer P), which Navigation Program (PNP), tion and provides support, education o those positive messaging to afflicted with the disease. “I’ve been living with HIV for 36 years — more than half my life,” The PNP pilot program, which has Grace says. “People with HIV can ut a year live as long as anyone else.” been operational for about (Grace anticipates it will be fully ple at risk funded soon), serves people for falling out of care or who have he goal is already fallen out of care. The me virally to get them to become suppressed, or force the virus to e or become undetectable ng there’s untransmittable — meaning d to infect not enough of it in the blood a sexual partner. provides The organization emergency funding to assist in ng bills, getting housing, paying providing transportation to o medical appointments, as well as s helping clients navigate the he ealthcare healthcare system.
6 states MAY require registration as a sex offender as part of the punishment under HIV-specific laws
WA
ID
UT
MT
WY
ND SD NE
TX
KS
OK
MO
AR LA
WI
IL
MI
IN
TN
AL
KY
25
OH
GA
WV
SC
PA
VA
NC
FL
NY
NH
CT
NJ
DE MD
ME
MA
RI
32
STATES Have hiv-specific criminal laws AND/OR SENTENCE ENHANCEMENTS applicable to PLHIV
(Note: Total reflects overlap among the 28 states with HIV-specific laws and the 8 with sentence enhancements.)
states that have prosecuted plhiv under non-hiv-specific, general CRIMINAL laws
This number represents states with reported charges and/or convictions for non-HIV-specific offenses, where positive HIV status was relevant in establishing a (non-HIV-specific) element of the offense.
Updated: July 28, 2020. Laws change frequently and this map is only accurate to the best of our knowledge. It is not a substitute for legal advice.
MS
learn more at hivlawandpolicy.org
MN
IA
states with SENTENCING ENHANCEMENTS
applicable to PLHIV who commit an underlying sexual assault crime.
VT
HIV CRIMINALIZATION IN THE UNITED STATES
OR
NV
AZ
NM
8
CO
An overview of the variety and prevalence of laws used to prosecute and punish people living with HIV (PLHIV) in the us.
CA
HI
states with HIV-specific criminal Laws
AK
8 states HAVE reformed OR REPEALED one or more parts of their HIV-specific criminal laws
28
including laws targeting sex/ non-disclosure, exposure to bodily fluids, needle-sharing, sex work, and blood/ organ/semen donation
©2020 The Center for HIV Law and Policy. Please do not alter or adapt for organizational or personal use.
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Black & Pink News
DECEMBER 2021
Letters from our Inside Family “My Story” I get pretty excited when I see the Black and Pink News come to my door. Reading the different issues, I find myself experiencing a range of emotions. When I get to the last page, I wonder when I’ll take the next step and submit a piece myself. This will be my first, so I’ll do my best to keep it short and sweet. I love to write, and I’m known to write books. It’s like journaling with an audience. I’m 39 years old. Since I was six, I’ve had confusing thoughts, questions, and curiosity about who I am. From trying on grandma’s bras in the closet late at night to kissing the boy next door, I’ve kept my thoughts to myself and hidden the truth from the world. I was never raised to hate, but I wasn’t raised to think that anything LGBT was okay, either. Somehow, though, I knew it was something that I didn’t want anyone to ever know about me. I grew up like any normal child. I was among the bullied, called names, had no friends but got good grades. I was a momma’s boy for sure. I’ve always preferred the company of women and always will. I’ve always felt like a target to men for bullying, so I just tend not to be “one of the guys.” I’m more of a “one of the girls” kind of guy. It’s something I often wonder about, but as I write, I think it’s clear that growing up bullied by boys, and even now men,
may be the cause. But it’s never that simple, is it? I was bisexual and, deep down, a woman, but I didn’t know it or understand it. Over the years, my thoughts and curiosities grew. I fantasized about being with a man, wondering what it’s like being in a woman’s shoes. I dated a lot of women. I just didn’t know what it was about men that turned them on so much. In 2005, I finally got my chance to find out when I met a man online. He was the first that I ever talked to, but not by choice. I was just too afraid to ask any man about his sexuality. He invited me to his home, and I debated it for an hour before responding. I wasn’t sure if it was real or just some dude looking to hurt me. I took and chance, and OH MY GOD, it was the most erotic experience of my life. He called me a natural. I’ve always been a pro at oral. Yum! I stayed in the closet about that. I went back for more for several weeks, too. I came clean with the girl I was dating at the time. She had bisexual tendencies, so it went okay. She thought I was cheating on her with a woman, so I had no choice. She didn’t care if it was a guy. Late in the year, though, I met a guy who fell in love with me. I didn’t know how to take it and broke his heart, but we remained good friends. I did eventually grow to love him, but we grew apart by then. My ex and I eventually broke up
in 2008. I met a woman and got married within six months. That was 12 years ago. We had two kids and were totally in love. I couldn’t imagine a life without her. She let me be me. I could see other men and women. As a result, I’ve become quite the freak in bed for a number of men and/or women. It’s best to ask what I’ve yet to try. I played the part of a woman. Physically, I was all dude, but emotionally, I was the girl. I never told anyone that. People have always known me to be open and honest. That was the one fact I kept to myself for no good reason, considering I kept it from my closest LGBT friends. For years, while the ex or wife was away, I would dig around in the closet and dress up in my favorite pieces of their clothes. Once in a great while, I would get caught, but I mastered playing it off as a fun game of role playing. It never was, though. I loved being a woman when I was alone, no matter how masculine I looked in the mirror. In May of 2016, I was arrested and sent to prison for eight years at 85% time. I’m to serve six years, nine months, two weeks, and two days. I’ve got two years and two months remaining as of today, in fact. My wife made a vow to never leave me, but after three years, her father passed away, and within two weeks, she abandoned me and never spoke to me again. I feel like she wanted to make him happy. I’ll never know why she did it. We
Volume 12, Issue 6
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Volume 12, Issue 6
blackandpink.org
Letters from our Inside Family
have the same best friends, and they don’t even know. Even after a year and four months, she hasn’t moved on to anyone new, so it’s not that. She just wants to be alone, I guess. I divorced her on April 20, 2020.
confusions and got answers to all my questions. Even today, I continue to invest in more books, obsessed with learning things I only wish I knew so many years ago. I truly love all things LGBTQ+ and people!
About 10 years ago, I finally came to terms with my sexuality. I was completely open about it to everyone across all media platforms. I’m very proud of who I am, and for once in my life, I truly felt loved by all knowing that everyone knew the real me who came out of hiding. I would tell myself that if my wife left me, I would look into gender transition. I kept that fact and only that from the world. Looking back, I wish I would have been more transparent, but that doesn’t matter now. Read the book “She’s Not There” by Jennifer Boylan. In a lot of ways, my story relates to hers. It’s a really good read.
I now have a voice. I’m a Pansexual Transgender woman. I still question if I’m more nonbinary or not and like the idea of using they/ them pronouns. I still struggle to remember correcting my pronoun use when talking with people who use “them,” but I’m working on it. My new name, provided by my mom, is Rochelle. Ro Ro for short. The woman I’ve kept locked up in my head has completely taken over, and I feel amazing! I started HRT on September 6, 2020. I just had my first increase in doses of the hormones, and changes are happening fast. So far, so good. I came to prison as a man, but I’m leaving a woman. I’m happy!
August 31, 2019 is the last time I heard my wife’s voice. As promised to myself, I practically ran to health care and opened up about my life-long thoughts and feelings. It was then that I started to learn about the world of gender transition. I knew absolutely nothing prior. I learned about the books on the WPATH website and started investing in them. One by one, each book educated me on everything I would need to know about being transgender, in addition to all things LGBTQ+. Since then, I’ve finally solved all my doubts, concerns, and
- Rochelle D. (IL)
Dear Black & Pink, It’s me again Kaylin out of TX coming to all of you. It’s not easy at this time here on the unit. We went back down on this Covid-19 stuff. It has took me away from my significant other. Even though we have only been together two months, but the love we feel, the things we have shared, the touch, the kiss, the list goes on. Her
Page 34
name is Miss Paloma, she is my Hispanic queen. Paloma you are my rock and foundation, I love you. You are the best thing that’s happened in my life. I’m sure there’s a lot of you out there right now going through the same as me and Paloma are here. Being away from the one you love is not forever. To have a family as B&P to sit and just say whatever is going on in your life is the best. I’m so proud to be apart of such a family. With this Covid-19 shit we must stay strong for the community. Where ever you are tonight, I want to send out my love to all of you that I see as my family, a family that I’m proud of. To the community over on 4-Blds, F-pod, we can do better. It’s not hard, it’s about coming together and acting as adults, then we have the nerve to say why do we get treated that way, maybe it’s because we are acting that way. Anyway. Lots of love to all of you. You are on my mind and heart. Love you all, Wilson AKA Kaylin, TX
Dear Black and Pink family, My name is Alyssa (AKA Ka’licia). I’m an affirmed female Muslim woman of color, political prisoner, and Jailhouse Lawyer. As a Communist, I can only truly see one thing: complete liberation of the people,
Volume 12, Issue 6
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Black & Pink News
DECEMBER 2021
Letters from our Inside Family
especially the LGBTQIA community. And that’s why I’ve decided to write this article, which is imperative for this community.
decrease the suicide rate, to end homelessness, and to end murder, because too many of us are dying for living out our truth and declaring who we are.
Now is a time when we as a community must stop being petty and catty toward one another and unite as one body, one mind, and one soul. If we don’t fight against the daily oppression we face, then we will never ameliorate our condition within society and the prisonindustrial complex, which remains one of the biggest forms of oppression for the LGBTQIA community.
Then we have to look at the prison-industrial complex, one of the major forms of oppression for our people, where they are subject to abuse, harassment, and sexual assault. We should be more concerned with how to ameliorate their condition and give them relief from this oppression.
We must stop the inimical attitude toward one another and develop an amiable attitude toward one another. We must become our brother’s and sister’s keeper and watch each other’s backs at all times. If you see a brother or sister in need, then please please please assist them with their need, no matter what it might be, because we are oppressed enough without oppressing each other. We must want to see progressive change. To bring this change to our community, we must want to uplift our family before we can uplift our family out of poverty. Poverty and the struggle have many faces, and we must consider what faces are important to uplift first. I can name three major faces we need to change within our community: we must fight to
Love you all. Your sister, Ka’licia (MD) Power to the people, united we stand, divided we fall.
Hello to the LGBT Family. My dear friend Kitty Kat gave me four issues of Black and Pink and after reading them I knew I wanted to be a part of your family. I look 35 but I just recently celebrated my 50th birthday. I’ve been in prison since September of 1989, so I basically grew up in here. Over the past 31 years, I’ve lost everything and everybody I’ve ever loved to either the “out of sight/out of mind” syndrome or death. My life has been in constant turmoil. Mainly with myself though. For a long time I’ve hid in the fact that I’m bisexual. That closet I hid in allowed me to survive inside a
system that preyed on people like us. I was worried about what people might think or say about me. At the same time, I also believe that closet caused me to lose my true self. Everybody wants to be liked and loved and accepted. Today I still feel that way but stepping out of that closed closet has made me appear to be fake. To those who knew me as a straight man now see me and treat me a lot differently. That respect I worked so hard to get left when they found out I’m gay. I’m trying not to let that bother be but it does. To take these thoughts out of my mind I draw pictures of things that make me happy, and I’m in a program that allows me to write books for the blind. This is also a way for me to give back to society. I’m still alone and waiting for that special someone who can dominate me though the heart and body. Until then, I’ll kick it with the Queens and keep Dreaming. My Love for LGBT, Erick AKA (Tess) (NC)
I lay awake just as the reflection of the would be me does. But it’s not me, cuz unlike her, this is only my third time down. In her, I see pain so deep, a chasm of darkness that leaves lines of hate at the corners of her mouth and eyes. A loneliness so cold her skin has lost its luster. Here lies a woman so strong, so bold,
Volume 12, Issue 6
blackandpink.org
Letters from our Inside Family
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only kept alive by the stories once told. Now, it’s only her voice that tells these tales of long past adventures, with long past men. Men who went on and started life with another. Surrounded by inmates who could very well call her mother. But they’re not hers. She stands here alone, playing cards with sentenced friends, people who will leave her in the end. The one she holds dear is fading at the other end of a phone call. What’s left of their life, a flickering of light in her best friend’s daughter, who she’ll cus after spades tonight. Bitter and cruel, nothing nice to say to anyone in sight, not even for herself as she feeds emotions and swells. Four years down, and soon she’ll return to the memories anyone can see as posted pictures on her wall. Only to find that time has moved on and left her behind. The fun-loving woman was killed between pills crushed into lines. Her hell has already begun, a prisoner in her mind. You, God, let me stay in the bed across from her to help me see, only I can stop myself from becoming her. - Nicole M. (IA)
Michael L. (VA)
Hello to All my B&P family, For those that don’t know me. My name Blueberry short for Blueberry HoneyBun, and I’m a non-binary person.
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Black & Pink News
DECEMBER 2021
Letters and Poetry from our Inside Family
Word from me. Take your life under your wing and forget the land of discrimination and take to the sky of freedom with out. Don’t forget there will be turbulence of hate. This also goes to those of you who are afraid and secure. Now back to it, I love to see so much of us standing up, helping, educating and speaking out. For a long time I felt as if I could fit in I’ll be ok. LOL! What a foolish child I was. A circle only fits so well in an octagon! Hunny, I didn’t fit the standard because, I was the standard! I mean I’m walking around trying to figure out why so much hate, shoot I’m no better than you. Not realizing that’s why they mad because they want to be better and couldn’t get past me no matter how hard they tried. Baby, at the end of the day we all human.
effort to obtain freedom in the physical form while I’m in the belly of the beast. When I speak in this manner, the prison gets upset, but I guess the old saying “you can’t handle the truth” is true. :) That is one of the great characteristics that I love about Black & Pink, the principle of “Truth” will set us free. We have to face the facts about this Prison Industrial Complex and how Structural Racism and Prison are the modernization of slavery. The United States has many examples to show that slavery is still alive and thriving. The 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states “neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime, where of the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States or any place subject to their Jurisdiction.”
When you try to be something other than that is when you start to become less. My boyfriend History states that in 1865 said it best. Be yourself, you slavery was over, but it was are the star at the end you’ll be 1865 that the 13th Amendment watching your story. Starring, was adopted. I’m not the you! smartest person in the world, but it looked like a compromise took place. The 14th and 15th Love, Amendments brought the North Blueberry (NV) and South in unit, placing the Southerners, who were at that time without power, with the constitutional body of power. Greetings! I hope this finds And at that time, 1865, the you all in great spirits. As for free national constitutional law me, push-ups, reading, writing that was enforced since 1774 and putting in that good faith declared all men equal and free,
and if all men are declared by the free national to be free and equal since that constitution has never been changed, there is no need for the application of the 14th or 15th Amendments for the salvation of our people and citizens. Oh, I’ve just got started. Slaves have a 15-minute break to eat. Ask any prison staff how many minutes they have to eat. Slaves were given one blanket, one pair of shoes, and three changes of clothes each year. Prisoners here are given one blanket, one pair of cheap-ass boots, and three changes of pants and shirts for seven days! Slaves were given a monthly allowance of cornmeal and salted pork, yams and fish when it was available. If their rations ran out before the month was over, the slave would have to go hungry until it was time for the next provision to be given out. Here, they give prisoners $7.50 to $8.50 a month, which is all that most prisoners get, and if they owe the state for court costs or other things, they only get $5 a month. How is a grownass adult supposed to live off of that? In 1817, Missouri declared it was unlawful for more than five Negroes to meet for educational purposes. Only with the permission of their masters could slaves attend religious worship conducted by a recognized white minister or attended by two discreet and
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blackandpink.org
Letters and Poetry from our Inside Family
reputable persons. Here, they have a rule that states three or more prisoners gathering in a nonviolent manner is Organized Disobedience. Prisoners here have so many of their religions concealed for whatever reason. In 1831, Missouri passed a law providing that any Negro who should teach another to read or write should be punished by fine and whipping. Here, they have a Jim Crow state of mind when it comes to LGBTQ+ and Black people reading. This one prison staff member goes out of his way to ban access to materials targeted to an African American audience, even though the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution ensures that prison officials cannot censor material just because it contains religious, philosophical, political, social, sexual, unpopular, or repugnant content. In 1832, a Missouri House of Delegates rep stated, “We have as far as possible closed every avenue by which light may enter their (slaves) minds. If we could extinguish the capacity to see the light, our work would be completed. They would then be on a level with the beasts of the field, and we should be safe.” After these laws had been passed, American slavery extended not as that of the ancients only to the body but also to the mind. Education was thereafter regarded as positively inconsistent with the institution.
When I hear prisoners and sympathizers say “the system is broken” I disagree. The system of prison is the new slavery, and it’s now overtly seen when people of color are killed on film by police. When taxes are spent more on prisons than public schools, even when these facts are in front of our national leaders and nothing changes, my conclusion is that slavery is still alive. May Black & Pink live and thrive by night and by day. Love/Honor, Travis (MO)
Hi, my name is Joseph. I was given a little card via mail from my mother that I carry around with me, and when I feel down, I read it, and it changes my whole mood. It says the following: To my son, Never feel that you are alone No matter how near or far apart I am always right there in your heart Just believe in yourself and remember You only fail when you stop trying Never forget that whatever you go through No matter what I will always love you. - Joseph S. (TX)
Like The Wind Like the wind It’s who I am The summer breeze Warm kisses upon your cheek Sweet scents float the breeze The soft touch of love And yet you don’t see me The tumult of leaves dancing the streets Hair brushes about the face Waves of grain boats at sea Like the wind It’s who I am And yet you don’t see me My words in pain Strike like a storm’s rain Whipping sands across lands Stinging the skin just to be heard To be felt, to be known The wind blows Felt but yet you don’t see me Through my travels come blues and grays Whipping winds or gentle sways Happy, sad, laugher and pain Like the wind That’s who I am And yet you don’t see me Lost, lonely, pain and hurt The winds come strong, not a spurt Showing pain through wind and rain Destruction along the path, my pain And like the wind ... I’m the one you BLAME
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- Zachery (ID)
CINDERBLOCK EMPIRE I am a diamond of Mecca I shine under pressure Life wasn’t kind with its gestures I took the signs as a lesson I’m blessed, regardless, of the tests and hardships For God guards my heart just like a Kevlar vest My 1st love is music, a romance elusive So all night I write to the silence like a new friend Although I think outside the box where I sit and wait I still stand behind my bars like an inmate Creating amazing art from a cement cage My resolve a little harder from the spent rage My fire rises higher than the barbed wire Claiming you’re not inspired makes you bitter or a liar I’m a victim-turned-survivor, from addiction to desire Unbroken still & breaking through This Cinderblock Empire - Julia G. (SD)
You’ll Never Stand Alone If there’s a time When the tears should fill your eyes And you can’t see past the shadows To the sun on the other side Don’t Despair. Because there will always be
Black & Pink News
someone there Don’t lose faith Love won’t let you lose your way Because you… you’ll Never Stand Alone I’ll be standing by I’ll keep you from the cold I’ll hold you when you cry I’ll be there to be strong When you can’t find the strength inside And you’ll always have a home In these arms of mine. My love is standing by If there’s a day When the rain should find your heart And you’re cold, tired, and lonely And this world has you in the dark Don’t be scared You can just call and reach for me Don’t lose hope Love will see you through, you know I’m standing by to lift you above all the hurt and pain Standing by you through all the tears and rain Reach for me and I’ll be with you I’ll be the one to hold you The one to show you You’ll Never Stand Alone - A Brown AKA Lionheart (DC)
Stereo Type I listen to your stereotypes as my stereo types. My stereo types away your stereotypes. As I listen to your stereotypes I ask myself questions. Questions like, Can a gay man be strong? Another pops into my mind:
DECEMBER 2021
Was James Baldwin a strong Black man? Or were the people just blind? As I listen to your stereo it starts to play games with my mind. So I cut your stereo off, With my typing stereo keys. - Mr. W. Williams (NY)
My Missing Piece of Forever Without you, I am incomplete. Like a puzzle that is missing a piece, Regardless of how well the other pieces are out together, The remaining picture can never be whole Just as my life can never be complete while I am deprived of your presence. Each desperate thought I suffer is a piece of unpredictable edges, Relentlessly trusting in an unplanned direction As the love inside of me continues to swell, ready to burst, But there is no release I have endured immense pain in my life, But I have never known agony until now, Now that my life has been blessed with your presence I understand why it is called the present. Because each moment I’ve been fortunate enough to spend with you is a Gift; Bestowed upon me from the Universe in the form of life’s ultimate gift- love. And so, forevermore, I can no longer imagine even calling it life
Volume 12, Issue 6
without you. My body aches for your body pressed against mine, fitting together as one, Your warm breath grazing my neck, sweeping away my body in blissful ecstasy. My skin longs to connect again with your soft touch, Your strong arms wrapped around me, interlocking a sense of security with their surprisingly gentle embrace. My lips yearn to join together with their perfect match once again, Your beautiful, expressive brown eyes gazing deep into my soul With the unspoken words, “I’m broken too, but I’m here- and I’m yours.” “We found love in a hopeless place,” And I’m convinced it is our love that keeps the promise of hope alive. Every laugh, every kiss, every touch- every second with you Is a piece of forever ingrained in my mind and on my heart. Until reality bring you back to me, We will connect through each word of our letters, And be together in every moment of my dreams. Nothing can destroy this love I have for you. It is immortal- eternally imprinted on every fiber of my consciousness, An unbreakable piece of my soul. There is shall stayIndestructible. And once again, wherever fate should choose to allow it, I will be your forever, And the missing piece of me that is you,
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Will return and reconnect to make me whole. For E 1/6/2020 -Julian (NC)
Whispers In My Pillow Dedicated to Curtis Sometimes, I whisper into my pillow Telling you I love you at night. Sometimes, I whisper a prayer Hoping I can dream of you once more. Sometimes, I hold my pillow tight Imagining you, it feels so right. Sometimes, I can’t help but turn away Feeling my pillow against me lay Hoping it is you, ow, so close, each day. I whisper to the moon at night To watch over him with her beautiful light To guide us on our path along the way Hand in hand is where I want to stay. I whisper into my pillow at night All the things I feel I can’t say Like feeling such love that blows me away. All these whispers, they echo in my heart As I whisper in my pillow… 381 - Steven P. J. (TX)
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Art by Ricardo Levins Morales RLMArtStudio.com and Tori Hong ToriHong.com. Copyright 2017, Free for noncommercial use
Art by Ricardo Levins Morales RLMArtStudio.com and Tori Hong ToriHong.com. Copyright 2017, Free for noncommercial use
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DECEMBER 2021
Black & Pink News
Call for Submissions Seeking erotic short stories, poems, and art by Black & Pink incarcerated and free-world family members for a new zine. To be mailed, art cannot include full nudity. Please send submissions addressed to Black & Pink — HOT PINK. This is a voluntary project, and no money will be offered for submissions, but you might get the chance to share your spicy story with many other readers! The zine will be sent one or two times per year. To subscribe to upcoming issues of HOT PINK, write to our address, Black & Pink — HOT PINK.
Black & Pink Mailing Information Write to us at: Black & Pink — [see table below] 6223 Maple St. #4600 Omaha, NE 68104 Please note that you can send multiple requests/ topics in one envelope! Due to concerns about consent and confidentiality, you cannot sign up other people for the newspaper. However, we can accept requests from multiple people in the same envelope. There’s no need to send separate requests in more than one envelope.
If you are being released and would still like to receive the Black & Pink News, please let us know where to send it! Penpal program info: LGBTQ+ people who are incarcerated can list their information and a short non-sexual ad online where people can see it and write. There will be forms in upcoming issues Mail info: We are several months behind on our mail. There will be a delay, but please keep writing! Email us: members@blackandpink.org
If you would like to request:
Address the envelope to:
Newspaper Subscriptions, Address Change, or Volunteering
Black & Pink — General
Newspaper Submissions — Stories, Articles, Poems, Art
Black & Pink — Newspaper Submissions
Black & Pink Organization or Newspaper Feedback
Black & Pink — Feedback
Black & Pink Religious Zine
Black & Pink — The Spirit Inside
Advocacy Requests (include details about the situation and thoughts about how calls or letters might help)
Black & Pink — Advocacy
Submit to or request Erotica Zine
Black & Pink — HOT PINK
Stop Your Newspaper Subscription
Black & Pink — STOP Subscription
Volume 12, Issue 6
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