NMAC announces award of Health Resource and Services Administration’s (HRSA) Project 16-186 focusing on Leadership Training for People of Color Living with HIV (PLWH).   For this work, NMAC will partner with nationally recognized coalitions and PLHIV networks.

We believe that people of color living with HIV are integral to leading in the HIV movement at this point in the epidemic. We envision an HIV movement that is multi-racial, multi-gendered, multi-sexual and responds to the diverse issues that intersect with the epidemic. NMAC and its partners will develop and deliver training programs for people of color living with HIV (POCLWH) of all ages to enable full, active and engaged participation on planning bodies, medical and support care teams, board of directors and other mobilization efforts to address the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS) . Our belief is that the community has the knowledge and resources to lead, and our goal is to support and enhance these strengths through skills building and community building. The project starts with the National Training for transgender women of color living with HIV, followed with three (3) regional trainings for people of color living with HIV and a national training of trainers (TOT).

The training series provide optimal opportunities for skills building, knowledge exchange and networking for program participants focusing on leadership development.  Jurisdictional HIV data will be considered when selecting both the training participants and the sites for regional training locations in order to ensure trainings are offered in impacted service areas.

“We are all working together to support Building Leaders of Color Living with HIV [BLOC] that will collaborate with says Jacqueline Coleman, M.Ed, MSM, BLOC Project Director.

Our trainings will uplift and enhance the voices of those communities that are over represented in the number of new cases of HIV, but under-represented in current leadership.  The BLOC will build a database of new leaders that will help those jurisdictions who have challenges identifying leaders of color living with HIV.  All of the BLOC Partners are committed to racial justice and health equity with a focus on those communities disproportionately vulnerable due to injustice and discrimination based on race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or HIV status.