Heroes 4 HIV – Do You Belong? We Do!

We can’t escape the daily grind – be it family or career, there’s no shortage of obligations and distractions that keep us too busy from mindfully engaging the world around us and the people we share it with. What are the barriers that keep you from exploring your empathy? What are the ways in which we subconsciously alienate each other? What can you do to make room in your life & your community for others? What can you do to make room for YOU?

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HIV should not be a barrier for interaction and unity among us. Embracing the members of our community that are living with HIV expands our sense of our humanity as a whole and is one small way of saying we all belong – there is room for each and every one of us!

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Join SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW for

The Second Annual

SPARK A CHANGE
A FUNDRAISER AND CELEBRATION

Friday, December 9, 2016

7:00pm – 9:00pm

HodgePodge Coffeehouse & Gallery | Atlanta, GA

This community centered event will feature delightful local bites, fantastic live music and performances, and a prize raffle. We will also be honoring our community youth leaders for exemplifying our vision of a world where all people are empowered, valued, and able to make liberatory decisions about their communities, families, and lives with our Vanguard of Change Award.

To purchase tickets, click here

For sponsorship opportunities, click here

Join our team and volunteer in the Host Committee!


Promote SPARK A Change!

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Join SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW for The Second Annual SPARK A CHANGE: A Fundraiser & Celebration to uplift the work of some amazing local organizers and community projects in Atlanta. Featuring delightful local bites, fantastic live music and performances, and a prize raffle, this is sure to be an evening you won’t want to miss.

Take a moment and purchase your ticket TODAY! www.sparkrj.org/change #SPARKAChange ‪#‎ReproJustice

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Join @SPARKRJNOW  for #SPARKAChange: A Fundraiser & Celebration! Get your ticket TODAY! www.sparkrj.org/change  #ReproJustice

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2016 Elections: A Message from our Executive Director

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As a public health professional I never thought that the core of medicine and helping others was centered on politics. Sadly, everything about our health and lives is political. The fact that Black and Hispanic people disproportionately lack access to medical coverage, quality of care, and resources, but also lead our nation in rates of obesity, STD/STIs, HIV, infant and maternal mortality, health disease as well as other epidemics, is wrapped up in our political environment and decisions that are made behind closed doors for US but not BY US.

 

Join me this Thursday, November 10th from 3:30pm – 4:30pm EST for a post-election analysis as I speak alongside terrific panelists, including:

Monica Simpson of SisterSong,

Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health,

Kalpana Krishnamurthy of Forward Together &

Rev. Marti Keller of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta.

 

There’s power in our voices. We need to begin intentionally talking about the politics around OUR bodies, OUR health, OUR futures, and OUR lives.

 

In Strength & Solidarity,

Dr. Krystal Redman

RSVP Here: http://bit.ly/2f9UiuO

Heroes 4 HIV – Destigmatizing HIV In Our Communities

My name is Spark! I am 25, queer, Black and living in the South… I want to ask you this… How far would you go to keep a secret from the world; a secret that would give the world an excuse to turn its back on you?

On the other hand, how little would you be willing to consciously contribute to improve your community by improving the lives of others?

#Heroes4HIV

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Let those questions linger as I tell you that I am HIV positive – and have been since birth. Not many people know this, except for a few family members. You really wouldn’t know they were my family if you witnessed our interactions – or the lack of them. I am afraid of openly disclosing my HIV status out of  fear that it will influence the rest of my relationships and social encounters in a similar way. I want to share my status, but then I ask myself, what about the shame, unequal treatment, and stigma I might receive? I am afraid of the death of my confidence. Should I share my status?…

I have decided to start a 30-day digital campaign for the month of November. Please help  me by sharing a status, picture, and/or video about how you think HIV stigmatization manifests itself and the effect it has, not only on people living with HIV, but also non-HIV+ individuals in our societies.

This campaign is for and about people living and thriving with HIV! It is about the resources and power we hold, that we sometimes are forced, out of fear, to suppress. It is about US! Together we will fight the battle of de-stigmatization and reclaim our voices, in order to internally and externally shift the way we all think about HIV and people living with it. It’s about US as Heroes4HIV! So, “let’s talk about it!”

Heroes4HIV denotes responsibility unto each and every one of us because we all live in a world that has HIV. Therefore, having been informed by people around us, we can choose to consciously respond to HIV in a manner that brings us together and shifts the way we think.

INVITATION: A Call with President Obama on Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment

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You are invited to join a conference call on Thursday, October 27th at 4:30 PM ET with President Barack Obama and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell to discuss the upcoming open enrollment period for the Health Insurance Marketplaces under the Affordable Care Act.

To receive the dial-in information, click HERE. Once you RSVP, a dial-in, participant code, and individual pin will be provided via e-mail.

This call is off the record and not for press purposes.

Spark Off! Apples & Abortion

The second episode of SPARK Off! is a recording of our recent event, Apples & Abortion. Moderated by our Programming Specialist & Organizer, Shayla Robinson, the fishbowl discussion revolves around the taboos and politics of abortion access, contraceptive equity, and bodily autonomy.

 

We are joined by our esteemed panelists:

Oriaku Njoku from ARC South East

Justina Trim of Sister Song

Danielle Gilmore of Feminist Women’s Health Center

 

This session was recorded at The Little Five Points Community Center.

 

Listen in and as always, let us know what you think!

 

SPARK Invites YOU to MY BODY MY VOTE!

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Our bodies, our communities, and our futures are tied into the upcoming election. What does this mean in terms of reproductive rights? How can you get engaged locally?

Join us this evening at My Body, My Vote – a panel discussion on the upcoming elections and the potential impact they could have on marginalized communities.

The event will be held at The Georgia Hill Neighborhood Library (250 Georgia Ave SE, RM 209, Atlanta, GA 30312) today, Thursday, October 6th at 6:00 PM and will feature Kwajelyn Jackson, of the Feminist Women’s Health Center along with Chanel Haley, of Georgia Equality.

Light refreshments will be served.

This is a community event, so please share it with your friends and family.

See y’all there!