Mirroring the need for intersectionality and inclusivity in the fight to end HIV/AIDS, the People’s Mobilization on the National HIV/AIDS Strategy Counter Conference is a community-built space that aims to empower constituencies most impacted by HIV to be in control of the dialogue. The Counter Conference happened in parallel with the National HIV Prevention Conference (NHPC) as an alternative and accessible space for those who cannot attend the larger NHPC.
Over two days from Monday, December 7 through Tuesday, December 8, activists and advocates hosted conversations at the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta on the remaining shortcomings of NHAS and its recently released Federal Action Plan, as well as other crucial intersectional issues that were missing from NHPC discussions. Sessions centered on not only raising issues and communities absent from NHAS, but was a vital space to plan collective advocacy work, prioritize policy issues and build power among communities ahead of changing federal leadership in 2016.