Greetings!

With the commitment to advocate for the unique challenges and needs of Black LGBTQ and same gender loving people in our nation, the National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) is honored to present our first e-blast exclusively focused on the critical implications of public policy decisions for our community currently being debated in Washington, DC. The Trump Administration and Congress have been actively moving on implementing alarming policies, releasing a short-sighted and historically inadequate federal budget, developing critical health care legislation that negatively impacts our community, and holding hearings this week in the Senate for a nominee with a troubling judicial record to be the next Associate Justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. Our voices and active participation in these important developments are more important than ever.

As we honor the contributions of women this month during Women's History Month, the words of one of the most prolific mothers of our justice movement, Audre Lorde, must guide us. She once stated, "There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives." This guiding pearl of wisdom implores us to speak truth to power on all of the policy changes that are being discussed and make our voices heard as our nation partakes in a pivotal debate on our collective future. Our ability to unite, take a stand, and agitate our elected officials to move favorably on the many issues that impact our lives is what will push us forward as an empowered people.

With hopes to inspire you to take a stand and make your voices heard, we are proud to present this action alert e-blast on the important developments in our nation's capital.

With Affirmation and Love,

Team NBJC

#OwnYourPower
#TakeAStand
NBJC Strongly Opposes the
American Health Care Act
Washington, DC - The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC), the nation's leading civil rights organization dedicated to the empowerment of Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people, including people living with HIV/AIDS, strongly opposes the  American Health Care Act (AHCA), which has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by the Republican Leadership. If passed into law, this measure would not only repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and key provisions that have provided access to healthcare insurance for over 20 million Americans, it would fundamentally undermine the ability of many of the most vulnerable people, including people with pre-existing conditions, to benefit from life-saving medical treatment in our nation. Because AHCA and the  recent additions to the legislation would negatively impact the health and wellness of millions of Americans, including Black LGBTQ people, and present an immediate threat to the stability of our nation's public health system, NBJC will work to see that this current measure fails, and a more effective and humane proposal rooted in sound policy is introduced and passed into law.
Supreme Court Nominee Hearings
This Week
Yesterday, the Senate Judiciary formally opened hearings on the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to be an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court. NBJC has expressed opposition to his nomination as a result of his troubling record as a federal judge, and signed onto an important letter led by Lambda Legal, on why this nominee is a threat to the LGBTQ populace. In addition, the NAACP Legal Defense Fund has produced a report entitled The Civil Rights Record of Judge Neil M. Gorusch, which outlines a comprehensive review of Judge Gorsuch's judicial record and implications for our community. Issues of racial justice, LGBTQ equality, and the values our nation stands on are at stake with the Supreme Court. Our voices must be heard on this nomination.
Today is National HIV Call-In Day
Tell Congress to Oppose the
American Health Care Act
NBJC is honored to participate in the National HIV Call-In Day to urge Congress to oppose the Republican's repeal plan (AHCA). This day has been organized to send a message loud and clear to Congress that leaving 24 million people underinsured and gutting funding for the Medicaid program is not acceptable.

It's critical that your Representative, Republicans and Democrats, hear from you right now and know that the AHCA is unacceptable. It will result in new HIV infections and worse health outcomes for people living with HIV. Your Representative needs to know that constituents want more, better and affordable coverage, and that the Republican plan will not achieve any of these goals!
NBJC is a proud sponsor of AIDSWatch 2017 (March 27-28,2017), which is the nation's largest annual constituent-based HIV/AIDS advocacy event, bringing together hundreds of people living with HIV and their allies to meet with Members of Congress and to educate policymakers about the important issues at stake for people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States. For the third year in a row, NBJC is honored to host a networking session to prepare our community for impactful meetings on Capitol Hill.

Please join us for the Black Advocacy Networking Session on Monday, March 27 at 3:25pm-4:45pm at the Georgetown Marriott in the West End. The objective of the advocacy networking session is to provide Black people and other advocates participating in AIDSWatch--particularly young Black gay, bisexual, same gender loving men, and cisgender and transgender women--an opportunity to have a focused discussion on current public policy issues that impact Black communities. The discussion will provide additional information and context that can be used by participants during congressional office visits, at state and local stakeholder meetings, and future national advocacy efforts.
National Black Justice Coalition |  nbjc.org