Tell Your Representative to Join the Congressional AIDS Caucus

Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA), Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Trent Franks (R-AZ) recently established the Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus. This bipartisan Caucus will focus on implementation of the US National HIV/AIDS Strategy, financing for bilateral and multilateral HIV/AIDS programs, the state of HIV/AIDS research, the role of Faith-Based Organizations and the 2012 International AIDS Conference to be held in Washington, D.C.

It is important that your elected representatives in the House of Representatives are educated on HIV/AIDS and are actively involved in ending the epidemic in all communities, particularly in Black communities, which bear the brunt of the epidemic. Your Congressional representative's involvement in the Caucus will make them better-informed about and able to be more responsive to people living with HIV/AIDS, the people who love them and the communities they live in.

The Black AIDS Institute asks that you reach out to your elected representative's office and either thank them for joining the Caucus (see list of current members below) or, ask them to join the Caucus if they haven't done so already.

Tips for Contacting your Representative

• To call your Representative, dial the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and ask to be connected to your member's office
• Not sure who your member is? Click here to find out!
• When connected -- Identify yourself as a constituent and someone who is impacted by HIV/AIDS
• Tell them:
• You are calling to ask your representative to join the new Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus
• Why the HIV/AIDS issues are important to you personally
• Joining the bi-partisan Caucus will demonstrate your representative's support for the HIV/AIDS community
• Ask them to contact staff in the offices of the co-chairs: Jirair Ratevosian (Cong. Lee) 202-225-2661, Andrew Adair (Cong. McDermott) 202-225-3106 or Stephanie Hammond (Cong. Franks) 202-225-4576

The Following Members of Congress have already joined. Please call to thank them:

Current Caucus members as of 9/9/11: Lee; McDermott; Franks; Bordallo; Brady (R); Baldwin; Capuano; Christensen; Cohen; Conyers; Engel; Hinchey; Nadler; Payne; Quigley; Olver; Rangel; Towns; Butterfield; Cummings; Sires; Pascrell; Schakowsky; Waters; Rush; Hastings; Grijalva; Norton; Scott; Bass; Gutierrez; Cicilline; Lewis; Johnson; Waxman; Clarke; Chu; Watt; Honda; Pelosi; Braley; Wasserman Schultz; Brown; Maloney; Ros-Lehtinen; Himes; Berman; Roybal-Allard; Deutch; Castor; Jackson, Jr.; Carter; McKinley.