World AIDS Day: Progress and Challenges Ahead
Millions of people have died from AIDS. People are still dying from complications of HIV and AIDS but as we pause to commemorate World AIDS day on December 1st, some news is positive despite there not being a cure. “We have medications today that for the person who does not have HIV, they can take a medication once a day and have a greater than 90 percent chance of NOT acquiring HIV,” said John Huckaby, the CEO of AIDS Foundation Houston and a guest on this week Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall. Huckaby talks about the progress made and the biggest challenges in getting young people to understand the risks associated with HIV and preparations from the World AIDS Day Luncheon, their largest fundraiser of the year.
The Dr. Against the Rapper for District D!
Carolyn Evans-Shabazz Ed.D. is Chair of the Houston Community College Board of Trustees. She is also a candidate for the District D spot of Houston City Council being vacated by Council Member Dwight Boykins. Evans-Shabazz says she will continue the 2nd Chance program started by Boykins and will focus on the issues most important to her district such as crime, homelessness and dumping. “I want them to know that I have the experience and that I’ve also engaged with the community,” she said. “I’m not a new face. I’ve been there, out there and working with the people because I think that’s necessary. You do that before you ask people to support you!”
U.S. Refugees Allowed Drops to Lowest Number in Recent Memory
President Trump has made immigration and asylum seekers a big part of his focus during his first few years in office. Supporters would be thrilled to know that the number of legal refugees being allowed in this country has dropped to near 18 thousand, almost 67 thousand fewer than allowed in 2016 and fewer than Canada allows in their smaller country. Kelsey Norman is the Director of theWomen’s Rights, Human Rights and Refugees Program at the Baker Institute at Rice University and says that drastic reduction is not a good thing. “Since 1980 we’ve had an important resettlement program that resettles the largest numbers of refugees every year for almost 40 years, four decades,” she said. She talks about why such a big reduction is bad for the stature and moral authority of the United States.
She also goes into more depth in this week’s Houston Newsmakers EXTRA on the topic of Refugees.
Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall airs Sunday at 10:30am.
More Information:
· John Huckaby, CEO AIDS Foundation Houston
· 713-623-6796
· Twitter: @AIDSHelpHouston
· Carolyn Evans-Shabazz, Candidate Houston City Council District D, Board Chair, HCC Trustees
· 832-370-4328
· Email: Shekira@next-wave.com
· Kelsey Norman, Director, Women’s Rights, Human Rights & Refugees Program
· 713-348-2997
· Email: kpnorman@rice.edu