Applying a Social Justice Framework to Prevention Programming for Black Women By Kimberleigh J. Smith, MPA Director, Women’s Institute Gay Men’s Health Crisis October 8, 2008

Women’s Institute at GMHC

Complexity of HIV/AIDS Among African-American Women: A Syndemic Network Adapted from The Landscape of HIV/AIDS among African American Women in the United States , NASTAD May 2008

Strength-Based Strategies The range of interventions i.e. behavioral (individual, group, community) Population- and Community-Level Interventions Why we need Structural-Level Interventions that will support HIV prevention for Black women

The range of interventions i.e. behavioral (individual, group, community)

Population- and Community-Level Interventions

Why we need Structural-Level Interventions that will support HIV prevention for Black women

Potential Community & Structural Level Responses Design population-level interventions to address s exual networks Reform prison sentencing to address incarceration rates of Black men in communities Integrate economic empowerment with HIV prevention Ensure young, Black women graduate from high school Reduce gender-based violence * Other possibilities: Drug Use, Mental Health, Housing, History of Sexual Abuse, Child Welfare

Design population-level interventions to address s exual networks

Reform prison sentencing to address incarceration rates of Black men in communities

Integrate economic empowerment with HIV prevention

Ensure young, Black women graduate from high school

Reduce gender-based violence

* Other possibilities: Drug Use, Mental Health, Housing, History of Sexual Abuse, Child Welfare

Re-Thinking Interventions & Policy Fixes Community mobilization Service integration Economic and education programs for women Develop a gender-specific, HIV-prevention research agenda for Black women How can we best test pop-gender-specific SIs? How can we better research SIs w/pop-gender-specific outcomes? What are the measurement challenges? What are the costs? How long do we need to see the results? What strategies can we employ to prioritize SIs in the current research and policy agenda?

Community mobilization

Service integration

Economic and education programs for women

Develop a gender-specific, HIV-prevention research agenda for Black women

How can we best test pop-gender-specific SIs?

How can we better research SIs w/pop-gender-specific outcomes?

What are the measurement challenges?

What are the costs?

How long do we need to see the results?

What strategies can we employ to prioritize SIs in the current research and policy agenda?

Thank You! [email_address]

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