With great sadness, AIDS United joins the rest of the HIV community and the nation in mourning the death of Representative Elijah Cummings. During his 36 years of public service, Representative Cummings was a true champion for people living with and affected by HIV all across the United States, particularly those living in the West Baltimore neighborhoods that he called home. He was also a tireless advocate for people who use drugs, speaking out for their right to dignity and healthcare at a time when few elected officials were willing to do so.
Jesse Milan, CEO and President of AIDS United, “Whether he was seeking increased funding for the Ryan White Program, supporting efforts to expand healthcare access for those who could not afford it, championing early efforts to support syringe services programs, or crafting comprehensive legislation to address the overdose epidemic, Representative Cummings made sure to center the needs of the poor, the disenfranchised, and all those pushed to the margins in everything he did. For these reasons and countless others, AIDS United was honored to recognize the late Congressman with our AIDSWatch Congressional Champion Award earlier this year. I live in Congressman Cummings’ district, and I’ll miss his vital leadership for all the communities he represented. His passion, vision, and moral guidance in the halls of Congress will be sorely missed.”
AIDS United is deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to work with Representative Cummings in his efforts to end the HIV and overdose epidemics. Our condolences are with the Congressman’s family and to the people of Baltimore, who have lost a leader and a friend.
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. AIDS United works to ensure access to life-saving HIV care and prevention services and to advance sound HIV-related policy for U.S. populations and communities most impacted by the epidemic. To date, our strategic grant-making initiatives have directly funded more than $104 million to local communities and have leveraged more than $117 million in additional investments for programs that include, but are not limited to HIV prevention, access to care, capacity building, harm reduction and advocacy. www.aidsunited.org
