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Special Events
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Art and life converge for AIDS Law Project's 20th Anniversary
Gala
Jonathan Demme,
award-winning director of the film Philadelphia, will
take center stage at the AIDS Law Project's 20th Anniversary
Gala on Thursday, November 20th
Released 15 years ago, Philadelphia was
the first major motion picture to tackle the topic of AIDS
discrimination. At the gala, Demme will hold a series of
short conversations with members of the cast and crew of
Philadelphia that will consider the film's impact on the
public's awareness of the AIDS epidemic and how it challenged
popular stereotypes about people living with AIDS.
The evening will continue with a rousing jazz
concert from multitalented author and musician James McBride
and his band, who will be making their fourth annual appearance
to benefit the AIDS Law Project.
Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell has
lent his name to the affair as the honorary chair. Demme
and McBride have generously donated their time to the event.
Sponsors will enjoy a private reception with
Demme and McBride before the event. Call Naomi Geschwind
at 215.587.9377 for information on sponsorship opportunities at
this one-of-a-kind evening! |
(Story from Good Counsel,
newsletter of the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania, Spring 2008)
Twenty years on the front line
Time flies when you are in the business of
serving the HIV/AIDS community, but it still seems remarkable to us that
the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania has been in this business for two
decades. This year marks the 20th anniversary of our foundling,
and while our work and challenges go on, we plan to embrace the
milestone - and we hope you will join us.
Two big events are in the works - the movie
party coming up June 20 and a Nov. 20 extravaganza that also salutes the
AIDS-focused film Philadelphia. But an anniversary like
this also is a time to pay tribute to our clients - 30,000 of them over
the years - and to reflect on
what these 20 years of service have meant to Pennsylvania's HIV/AIDS
community. We are fortunate to have many comrades in the fight to
assist and protect the rights of people with HIV/AIDS.
One supporter is state Sen. Shirley M.
Kitchen (D-Philadelphia), a member of the Senate's Public Health and
Welfare Committee, before which Executive Director Ronda B. Goldfein,
Esq., testified May 14. The senator welcomed Goldfein before
her testimony and, in an interview later, reflected on the AIDS Law
Project's efforts.
"You guys rate very high in my book," said
Sen. Kitchen, who has worked hand-in-hand with the AIDS Law Project ever
since she was in the Philadelphia City Council's director of constituent
services under then council president John F. Street.
The senator, who is known for fighting on
behalf of the poor, said that because poor people are the ones who
overwhelmingly suffer the worst stigma of HIV, "I see a big need for you
all and what you do." She also pointed out that while some issues
have changed over the course of the epidemic, others - such as housing -
continue to pose legal challenges that require "people who can't make a
good enough case for themselves" to turn to the AIDS Law Project.
"If people ever say that nothing is making a
difference," she said, "I tell them to look at the AIDS Law Project.
I talk about you all the time. Folks don't talk about good things
enough."
Longtime client and AIDS activist Heshie
Zinman agreed. "People need to understand that the Law Project is
incredibly important in the scheme of agencies dealing with AIDS."
Pointing out that most AIDS service
organizations deal with physical concerns such as food, clothing and
shelter, Zinman said, "The Law Project is really an incredible advocate
for a whole range of needs that don't look like food, clothing and
shelter, but lead to food, clothing and shelter."
Care for people with HIV/AIDS is available,
said Zinman, "but, it's hard to access."
"Government, insurance companies, doctors
versus the little guy is 'Big Brother' stuff and it's intimidating, and
I'm a pretty intelligent guy with resources," said Zinman, the founder
of the AIDS Library. "For people who haven't been as fortunate as
I, it's just got to be overwhelming."
So, Zinman tells his friends what his friend
- and another longtime client - Ed Bomba told in in 2003 when his first
HIV-related legal issue arose: "You don't even stand a chance without
the Law Project."
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