In This Issue

The world lost a hero on Sunday, with the passing of civil rights icon Julian Bond.

Julian Bond was a huge hero in the fight against HIV and AIDS. He was always there. I never had to explain why it was important for him to show up on any of the many occasions I asked for his help. He made sure that HIV/AIDS was front and center on the NAACP's agenda. I will miss him greatly. In this issue we remember Julian Bond's leadership in the fight to end HIV/AIDS.

Last week, we were very excited to announce the hiring of our new mobilization manager, Darriane Hall, who will also manage BTAN nationwide. This week we profile Darriane, who tells us why she feels called to do sexual-health work, the important role that BTAN plays in ending the epidemic in Black communities, and a little about the conference to empower Black male HBCU students that she will be working on in Marylan.

Also in this issue, we run a story from our friends at AIDS.gov about how different organizations are responding to the updated National HIV/AIDS Strategy, as well as a piece about how to redesign a website to reach people living with HIV and hepatitis.

New research shows that HIV cells keep duplicating even when ARV treatments are working. Antiretroviral therapy may affect the disease's progression; however, the virus doesn't disappear altogether.

Finally HUD and the Department of Labor have launched a new multi-media training for HIV/AIDS housing and service providers to help them connect their clients with the jobs they need to stay healthy and become self sufficient.

Yours in the struggle,

Phill