FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
[Southern U.S., December 13, 2024] – Southern Advocacy Coalition (SAC) proudly announces the release of the Southern States Manifesto: A Call for a Just and Equitable South (Fourth Edition). With contributions from advocates, providers, and stakeholders from across the region, this groundbreaking document spotlights the region’s long history of activism and urgent challenges faced by the Southern United States. Through data and narratives, the Manifesto makes a case for bold policy changes to combat the pervasive issues of health inequity, economic disparity, and social injustice.
Southern AIDS Coalition assembled several case studies and released the first-ever Southern States Manifesto in 2002. These case studies were presented nationwide, garnering national attention from the media, funders, and policymakers. The next update in 2008 released after the conclusion of the first year of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act of 2006 (RWHATMA) and of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) testing guidelines, Revised Recommendations for HIV Testing of Adults, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women in Health Care Settings. This update described what HIV looked like in the South, six years after the first efforts were brought together. The last update in 2012, focused on progress such as the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the implementation of the first-ever National HIV/AIDS Strategy (NHAS), the HIV Prevention Trials Network 052 that indicated the importance of adherence as a means of stopping transmission, and a historical change in the HIV prevention funding formula so that funds are based on living HIV cases rather than AIDS data.
The South is home to a rich cultural mosaic, yet it remains disproportionately affected by public health crises such as HIV, accounting for over 50% of new diagnoses nationwide. The South faces persistent challenges rooted in social and economic disparities, such as poverty, racial discrimination, and limited access to resources, which all create significant health vulnerabilities for many marginalized communities. For example, 1 in 5 Black women and almost as many Hispanic women live in poverty, in comparison to their white counterparts at 1 in 10. This edition of the Southern States Manifesto emphasizes the critical need for equitable healthcare, stigma reduction, and systemic change to create a healthier and more just region.
As part of this edition, SAC has unveiled seven bold policy recommendations that serve as a roadmap for progress in the South. These include expanding Medicaid to reimagining public health by decoupling it from law enforcement. These recommendations lay the foundation for transformative change and a more equitable future for the South.
The release of the Manifesto will take place on Friday, December 13, 2024, at 3PM CT, during a virtual conversation live from the historic 16th street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. This symbolic location, steeped in the history of the Civil Rights Movement, underscores the Manifesto’s call for justice and equity in the South. The event follows the 83rd meeting of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) visit to Montgomery, Alabama, on December 11-12.
A Call for Change and Collective Action
The Southern States Manifesto: A Call for a Just and Equitable South (2024 edition) is a focused document addressing critical social and public health challenges in the Southern United States. It highlights the disproportionate impact of the HIV epidemic in the region, compounded by pervasive stigma, health disparities, and limited healthcare access. Rooted in a commitment to equity, the manifesto also examines systemic issues like economic inequality, structural racism, and the lack of Medicaid expansion in many Southern states.
The Manifesto offers bold, actionable solutions such as expanding healthcare access, increasing public health funding, combating stigma, and reforming outdated HIV-related laws. It emphasizes the importance of advocacy, community mobilization, and voting rights to drive meaningful change.
The document serves as a rallying cry for collective action, encouraging individuals and organizations to advocate for justice, support local health initiatives, and elect equitable leaders to build a healthier, more inclusive South.
“The first manifesto was actually published on my birthday- March 2, 2002. It remains my best birthday gift ever- as it empowered us as AIDS Directors, who were at the time, powerless. We made a lasting difference. I am very proud of the work of SAC, but in the beginning, we were all just AIDS Directors without enough funds to keep our friends alive.” Dream Hill, Tennessee Department of Health/Infectious Disease Section (2002)
“Many grantors don’t understand the hardships that many small grassroots organizations go through with no funding or no fiscal sponsor but still assist people in the community using their own personal finances. Eliminating grant barriers for small grassroots organization will help with visibility…” Anonymous contributor living with HIV.
“The Southern States Manifesto represents a renewed commitment addressing the deep-rooted inequities that have long affected the South. It is not just a document-It is a call to action and declaration of hope. By releasing it at the historic 16th Street Baptist Church, we honor the legacy of those who fought for justice before us and recommit to the fight for health equity in the South,” said Will Ramirez, Director of Public Policy and Advocacy at Southern AIDS Coalition.
Availability and Next Steps
The fourth edition of the Southern States Manifesto will be publicly available starting December 13, 2024. To learn more, join the conversation, and support the cause, visit https://southernaidscoalition.org/southern-manifesto/.
Together, we can create a healthier, more equitable South where all residents have the opportunity to thrive.
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For media inquiries and further information, please contact:
Torrie Shepard
Communications Manager
Tel: 888-745-2975 Ext. 702, Email: to****@so*******************.org
About the Southern AIDS Coalition: The Southern AIDS Coalition (SAC) is a non-partisan coalition of government, community, and business leaders working alongside thousands of people living with HIV and our allies to end the HIV epidemic in the South. We do this through public health advocacy; capacity building assistance; PLHIV leadership development; research and evaluation; and strategic grantmaking. To learn more or to join us, visit www.southernaidscoalition.org.
