FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AIDS United and Public Policy Council Undergo Second Racial Justice Assessment with the Racial Justice Index
Contact: Communications Department, communications@aidsunited.org
Washington, D.C., October 31, 2024 — AIDS United, alongside its Public Policy Council (PPC), has launched the 2024 – 2025 Racial Justice Index (RJI), marking its second comprehensive racial justice assessment of the HIV Sector. The RJI is a key initiative aimed at enabling HIV organizations to evaluate their internal practices, understand their impact on historically excluded communities, and create actionable roadmaps toward becoming more equitable, reflective, and antiracist organizations.
The Racial Justice Index is a hallmark reflection of AIDS United’s commitment to racial justice. The effort is mounted by AIDS United and guided by its Racial Justice Health Equity (RJHE) committee comprised of eleven members from both the Board of Trustees and staff. The RJHE committee is dedicated to implementing and advising on actions centering on racial equity in the HIV sector.
AIDS United’s Racial Justice Health Equity Committee Members:
- Dr. Athena Cross (Staff co-chair)
- Bishar Jenkins Jr. (Board co-chair)
- Dr. Tyler Termeer
- Carie Harter
- Dr. Edward Suarez, Jr.
- Mark Lockwood
- Whitney Miller
- Christina Adeleke
- Vienna Mbagaya
- Carli Gray
- Sattie Zapata-Nyachwaya
“We are committed to ensuring alignment between our words and actions,” said Christina Adeleke, Esq., Senior Policy Manager for Community Mobilization and Health Equity at AIDS United. AIDS United recognizes our responsibility to address racial disparities, not only in the communities we serve, but also within our organization. By centering leadership by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color who reflect the communities most impacted by HIV, we can drive systemic change toward racial equity.”
The initial Racial Justice Index, launched in November 2022, saw participation from 472 individuals across 22 organizations. In the 2023 report, the results highlight disparities between organizations’ external commitments to racial justice and their internal processes supporting Black staff members. While 80% of respondents indicated their organizations offered racial justice training, qualitative responses underscored gaps, including inconsistent training and a lack of Black racial justice consultants leading these efforts.
The 2024 – 2025 RJI implementation period began on October 30, 2024, and will run until January 31, 2025, open to 60 PPC member organizations with plans to expand access to other HIV organizations in the future.
To read the 2022 – 2023 executive summary of the Racial Justice Index, read it here.
For interview requests with AIDS United spokespersons or members Racial Justice Health Equity committee, please contact AIDS United’s Communications Department at communications@aidsunited.org.
About AIDS United – AIDS United’s mission is to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S. through strategic grant-making, capacity-building, and policy/advocacy. AIDS United works to ensure access to life-saving HIV care and prevention services and to advance sound HIV-related policy for populations and communities most impacted by the U.S. epidemic. As of January 2021, our strategic grant-making initiatives have directly funded more than $118 million to local communities, and we have leveraged more than $184 million in additional investments for programs that include, but are not limited to, syringe access, access to care, capacity-building, HIV prevention, and advocacy. Learn more at www.aidsunited.org.
