ADVOCATES STAGE SYMBOLIC FUNERAL PROTEST AND CELEBRATION OF LIFE IN WASHINGTON, D.C. IN STARK WARNING OF DISINTEGRATING HIV PREVENTION AND CARE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE U.S.

March 17, 2026

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Tuesday, March 16, 2026 — Yesterday, long-term HIV survivors, health advocates, community health providers, and faith leaders gathered to hold a symbolic funeral protest and celebration of life service to sound the alarm over the growing instability in HIV prevention and care funding across the United States, and the impact on America's national healthcare infrastructure.

Organized by the Save HIV Funding Campaign and held at Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel (host hotel for this year’s AIDSWatch conference), the demonstration used the imagery of a memorial service to warn that decades of progress in the fight against HIV could be reversed if critical prevention and treatment programs continue to face funding threats and policy instability.

Editorial Photos of the Staging Can be Accessed for Download HERE
Credit: Shannon Finney, Getty Image for Save HIV Funding Campaign

Speakers and participants included:

Rev. Elder Carmarion D. Anderson, Minister for Congregational Leadership, United Church of Christ National Ministries; Jeremiah Johnson, Save HIV Funding Campaign co-founder and executive director of PrEP4All, who acted as the day’s “funeral director,” and Maxx Boykin, Campaign Manager for the Save HIV Funding Campaign.

Speakers and Living Obituary Readers:

Kamaria Laffrey, Co-Executive Director, SERO Project in Florida
Barb Cardell, Program Director, Positive Women’s Network-USA in Colorado
Aubrianna Escalera Naranjo, COO & President, Poder Unides Inc. in Georgia
Vincent Crisostomo, Director of Aging Services, SF AIDS Foundation in California
Paul Aguilar, Author and Activist in California
Malcolm Reid, Co-Chair, U.S. People Living with HIV Caucus; Founder & CEO, Unity Arc Advocacy Group in Georgia

Transcripts from their obituary reads can be found HERE.

Speakers emphasized that the systems supporting HIV prevention, treatment, and care were built with bipartisan support over decades. They warned that weakening these programs not only puts vulnerable communities at risk but also dismantles a public health model pioneered by the HIV response that has guided how the United States responds to large-scale health emergencies.

Jeremiah Johnson, Save HIV Funding Campaign co-founder and executive director of PrEP4All shared remarks, saying in part:

“We're going to make sure that our policymakers hear us loud and clear: do we invest in life, or do we invest in death? Do we invest in care, or do we invest in bombs?. We have to save our care, save our prevention, save our research, save our housing. And we have to do it, not just for those of us in America, but we have to do it globally.”

The gathering brought together advocates, community members, and people directly impacted by HIV policy decisions. Participants highlighted concerns about recent funding instability affecting programs that provide prevention services, treatment access, and medication assistance for people living with HIV.

Reading a living obituary of himself, Malcolm Reid, Co-Chair, U.S. People Living with HIV Caucus; Founder & CEO, Unity Arc Advocacy Group in Georgia said:

“Malcolm's death was not inevitable. It was planned. It was engineered. Treatment worked when it was uninterrupted. Viral suppression was not a miracle. It was access + consistency + trust. When the system broke that trust, when it replaced clarity with confusion, it did not merely create inconvenience. It created funerals.”

The celebration of life-styled program included remarks from advocates, community leaders, and public health voices, along with readings and a musical/gospel element honoring the generations of activists, caregivers, and providers who built the modern HIV response infrastructure.

Advocates warned that weakening federal HIV programs could reverse decades of progress made in reducing new HIV infections and expanding treatment access.

Editorial Photos of the Staging Can be Accessed for Download HERE
Credit: Shannon Finney, Getty Image for Save HIV Funding Campaign

Media contact:

Morrison Media Group Press Team

HIV FUNDING FAST FACTS

To support reporters covering the urgent policy landscape, the campaign is releasing the following Fact Sheet outlining the impact, scale, and human stakes of ongoing funding threats:

AIDS Drug Assistance Programs in Crisis: After years of flat federal funding in the midst of rapidly increasing healthcare costs, ten state ADAP programs recently reported deficits in the current fiscal year, and 19 ADAPs forecast deficits for the upcoming year– threatening medication access for thousands of Americans.
Federal HIV programs have more than 35 years of bipartisan support: In 2003, President George W. Bush created PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief), which has saved 25 million lives worldwide. Domestically, Bush signed reauthorizations of the Ryan White CARE Act, expanding federal support for HIV care. Protecting HIV funding has historically been a bipartisan commitment to public health and stability.
Federal HIV programs are cost-effective: Every $1 invested in HIV prevention saves the health care system $3 to $7 in future treatment costs. Cuts would increase long-term spending.
Medicaid is the largest source of coverage for people with HIV in the U.S., covering roughly 40% of people living with HIV. Medicaid expansion has been associated with a 33% increase in PrEP prescriptions. Cuts to HIV funding would have ripple effects across the entire Medicaid system, limiting access to care for millions of low-income Americans.
HIV care is part of the U.S. health care system: Federal HIV funding supports access to preventive care, primary care, mental health services, housing, and medications. Cutting these funds would destabilize programs millions of Americans depend on — including those living with chronic conditions, low-income families, and uninsured people.
Over 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV, and over 500,000 rely on federal programs like the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program for lifesaving medication and care.
HIV prevention funding protects everyone: The federal government funds access to PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a daily medication that reduces the vulnerability of HIV by 99%. Rolling back funding would increase new HIV cases and long-term costs to the health care system.
HIV funding is about more than one disease: These programs create a blueprint for coordinated, federally funded responses to health crises — from the opioid epidemic to COVID-19. Gutting HIV funding would weaken America’s preparedness for future public health threats.
HIV funding protects vulnerable communities: Black and Latine communities account for more than 65% of new HIV diagnoses. Protecting these funds is about protecting racial and health equity.

Additional State-by-State Resources & Fact Sheets HERE

About the Save HIV Funding Campaign: Launched in 2023 by PrEP4All, AVAC, and the HIV Medicine Association in partnership with the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership, the Save HIV Funding Campaign is a national coalition supported by more than 150 organizations representing advocates, healthcare providers, researchers, and community leaders. The campaign was formed in response to proposed Congressional cuts to federal HIV programs and has since helped avert more than $3.5 billion in domestic HIV funding cuts. Through coordinated advocacy, media engagement, and community mobilization, Save HIV Funding works to place the future of HIV prevention and care squarely in the national conversation. The campaign convenes community health providers and advocates across the country, organizes bipartisan congressional engagement, and mobilizes public voices to ensure that lifesaving HIV programs remain strong, accessible, and fully funded for the communities that rely on them.