A proclamation in support of National Native HIV/AIDS Awareness Day & National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
Thank you. All right. Our third proclamation tonight is. Councilman Espinosa, will you read Proclamation 304? Yes, Mr. President. Thank you. Proclamation number 17 0304 in support of national native HIV AIDS Awareness Day and National Women and Girls HIV Awareness AIDS Awareness Day. Whereas, more than 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV and more than 50,000 become infected with HIV every year, one in four between the ages of 13 and 24. Whereas, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment at the end of 2015, more than 13,000 people were reported to be living with HIV in the state of Colorado. And. WHEREAS, HIV and AIDS has affected Denver more than any other county in the state of Colorado, reporting the most persons living with the disease. Most HIV or AIDS related deaths. And 36% of new HIV infections in 2015. And. WHEREAS, the continued spread of HIV in the American Indian and native Alaska, mainly Alaskan native communities, poses a significant risk to the health and well-being of these communities. They have the third, third highest rate of new HIV infections in Colorado from 2011 to 2015. And. WHEREAS, when compared with other ethnic ethnic groups, American Indians in Alaska Natives are ranked fifth in estimated estimated return, mean an estimated rates of HIV diagnosis and have poorer survival rates after an HIV diagnosis. HIV infection was the ninth leading cause of death among American Indians and Alaska Native youth, aged 25 to 34 in 2014. And. WHEREAS, approximately one in four people living with HIV in the U.S. are women. Cases, despite cases, disproportionately affect African-American and Latino women who represent 29% of all women in the United States, but account for 78% of HIV cases among women. And. WHEREAS, the city and county of Denver recognizes the continued work to bring HIV and AIDS awareness by groups such as Cafe Cultura Children's Hospital Immune Immunodeficiency Program, Denver Indian Family in Resource Center, Servicios de la Raza, Sisters of Color, United for Education, the Empowerment Program and the GLB Community Center of Colorado . Whereas HIV it and now therefore it be complaints are therefore be proclaimed by the city and county, the Council, the city and county of Denver, Section one. The Denver City Council proclaims March 10th, 2017, to be known as the National Women and Girls HIV AIDS Awareness Day and March 20, 2017 as National Native HIV AIDS Awareness Day . Section two that the Clerk of the city and County of Denver shall test and affix the seal of the city and county of Denver to this proclamation, and that copies be transmitted to Café Cultura, the Denver Indian Family and Resource Center, and the Sisters of Color. United for Education. Thank you, Councilman Espinosa. Your motion to adopt so moved. It has been moved and seconded comments by members of Council Councilmen Espinosa. I just was I was honored that Councilman Lopez asked me to read this. I was shocked and stunned when I did those statistics about the African-American and Latino women who represent 29% of all women in the United States. They account for 78% of HIV cases among women. I'm not one to sort of go too much into national politics, but I did last year. And, you know, we just had the the proclamation honoring Saint Patty's Day parade. And last year I did mention how the Irish were persecuted people. And then I sort of warned about what was looking like a trend in the United States at that time that is sort of come to fruition to some degree on discrimination. And so I hope that we see we work to see these statistics reduced, but at a time when groups such as Planned Parenthood and funding for women's health is targeted and we've already seen these these numbers disproportionately affect minority women. I'm worried that this is going to go the opposite direction. So with that, I'm just I'm glad that this this the reading of this proclamation fell into my hands. So. Thank you, Councilman. Seeing no other comments, Madam Secretary. Rocco Espinosa. Hi, Flynn. I Herndon. Hi. Cashman. Hi. Can each new assessment? I black. I. Mr. President, i. Madam Secretary, please. Because the voting announced the results. Nine Eyes. Nine eyes. Proclamation 304 has been adopted. Councilman Espinosa, is there someone you'd like to invite up to receive the proclamation? Yes, Mr. President. I'd like to invite on a cruise in Alvin, Chile to receive the proclamation. And family. Yeah. Take advantage. Yeah. Look, until I shot someone dosage. I surely don't Oliver. She will you. Subject cannon slander teaching position hunting nationality audition injustice che Qatar aid peninsula. Hello, councilmembers. My name is Alvin Chee. I am the mayor or Navajo from Arizona. I am born to the bitter water, the honeycombed rock people, and born to the bitter water clan people of my tribe. I am a health care program manager with the JLP Community Center here in Denver, and I want to give my gratitude to Councilmember Espinosa and Councilmember Lopez and the council itself for passing this proclamation today. The stats you've read is, although profound, is becoming more manageable these days. However, our goal as a community is to bring that number down to zero. And with your help today, you brought that to light. Bringing this problem to the council to light. And with your help, we're able to reach out to the community at large to help in this awareness. Thank you so much, council members. And again. Good evening. I'd like to thank the Council for considering this proclamation. I think we were talking about it. I think this might be the fifth year that the Council has passed this proclamation as part of a community effort to bring greater awareness around HIV and AIDS to to the native community here in Denver, as well as women and girls. And is part of a larger program that we've been organizing called Rise Up the second Friday of March every year. And we collaborate with a lot of different organizations that are listed in the proclamation to provide free HIV and gonorrhea and chlamydia testing and as part of a community celebration, to be able to recognize, obviously, ways that we can protect our community from from these illnesses, from these infections, but also to be able to celebrate those people who are who are continuing to live and thrive with these these these illnesses. And so we really want to welcome you all if you have the time this coming Friday from 630 to 930 over half of ninth and Lopez go at the space of the Denver inner parish LA academia. Our home Catholic will do the so. We have free food, free HIV testing and we definitely welcome the community to attend. And it's something that I think is continuing with the energy that has built the last couple of years, including recently with Native people being more present in the national conversation and you know, example being the struggle at Standing Rock and the fight against the Dakota Access pipeline and to divest from those banks that are funding it. And so I think it's definitely a representation of people, Native people, being present and visible in the public eye. So I just wanted to say that much and thank you for for passing this proclamation. Thank you. All right. That brings us to our resolutions. Madam Secretary, will you please read the resolutions.