For the past few months, we’ve been collecting signatures from US ONE members for our Beginning of the End of AIDS petition. More than 176,000 advocates like you signed our petition to protect US funding for AIDS-fighting programs like PEPFAR and the Global Fund. And this week, we delivered them to Congress, just at the climax of the 19th annual International AIDS Conference in Washington, D.C.
ONE chapters from all across the US submitted their region’s AIDS petition signatures to 120 members of Congress in their local district offices over the week — but what about the other 400-plus representatives?
That’s where ONE’s local DC volunteers came in. On Tuesday, our group — representing states from California to Massachusetts — went to Capitol Hill to present our AIDS petition signatures to the remaining Congressional offices.
The experience was awe-inspiring. I felt an immense sense of pride as I knocked on each of the congressperson’s large, gold-plated wooden doors and hand-delivered the petitions filled with each of your names.
What made it better for me was that each petition was personalized for the specific official it was given to. For example, Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, received a petition addressed to him with the signatures of each Ohio ONE member, my name included!
Hopefully, with policymakers, activists, scientists and doctors in Congress’ backyard calling for a solution to the AIDS epidemic and America’s leadership in the endeavor, and with more than 176,000 ONE members’ voices in their ears and on their desks, our Congress will unite to make sure the life-saving AIDS programs PEPFAR and the Global Fund, are adequately funded to see this fight through to the end.