Newspapers / Community Connections (Asheville, N.C.) / Feb. 1, 1998, edition 1 / Page 1
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(OMMUNIT^ONNECTIONS SERVING WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA’S LESBIAN, CAY, BISEXUAL AND TRANSGENDERED COMMUNITY ®W«i t "You Just Don't Get It Do You Joe Connolly and WNCAP?" You simply do not have any foggy idea of what all the belly aching, frustration and in your face anger is all about. Well, it must be a director's sort of thing, Brenda Youngblood and Laurie Parker did not get it either. Each time I write or speak on behalf of the HTV/ AIDS community and the many thathave died in this struggle, it is as though my breath had been knocked out of me. I am soovercome by the past struggles, injustices, dehumanizing agony that many had to experience, adjust to and die with. They died with out voice, with no real input into the The current elements of Us vs Them, is Allen continued on page 23 An open letter to the community The Western North Carolina AIDS Project provides service to people living with HIV/AIDS in our five county ser vice area (Buncombe, Henderson, WNCAP MAKES COALS CLEAR iPRIDE ‘98 FUND RAISER Local media coverage of recent public meetings sponsored by the Western North Carolina AIDS Project (VVNCAP), and Letters to the Editor of the Community Connections, have left the impression that the organization is not being responsive to the needs of the local HIV / AIDS commu nity and that the current leadership is improperly managing the agency. Simply put, this is not true. I would like to take the opportunity to provide important fac tual information about the programs and operations of WNCAP. services that were or were not provid ed. The same struggle continues today, the voiceless HIV+/ PWA, a basemone- tary element at most, used statistically to secure monies that will be used to perpetuate the existence of organiza tions like VVNCAP, whose second most important goal should be to work themselves out of existence, second only to the very reason for their exis tence, the HIV+/ PWA and their needs. There are examples all around us of one group of people knowing what wasbest for another group of people. This all knowing attitude is reflected heavily by WNCAP’s agendas and their approach to everything regarding HIV+\PWAs. not new, it has always been. One direc tor at VVNCAP was power hungry and ignored the individual, one knew and felt the anger and hurt buthad no idea what to do, and our current director is cowering under his comfortable chair with hisself-righteous finger pointing at the HIV+/ PWA as his enemy, while refusing to acknowledge hisshort com ings and ineffectiveness. How cold and heartless can an organiza tion be, after listening to heart wrench- ingtestimonyof Stephen McDonough and his experience with HIV+ / AIDS and how it has torn hisfamily completely apart. Are you not concerned about what CO-CHAIR’S CORNER BY NANCY BAKER I would like to thank the many readers who sent in donations to Pride '98. Even with these, we need many, many more. Pride '98 week- — end is begin- 1 ning to come 1 together threw J much hard planning. We ^ ^ 8 oin S to * ^ aye soroe won ~ for the rally and D GREAT enter- iainment on Friday night. Make sure you put this date aside for a fun filled week-end. Donft for get if you would like to volunteer for Friday, Saturday, orSunday of Pride week-end, let us hear from you. As you keep j open - the up going to hold You will see I details in 1— M o u n tain Express, Asheville Citizen-Times, radio, and event calendars around town. We will also be putting flyers for all up coming events in different bush ness. Please come out and sup port YOUR Pride e98. ears are I would like to thank St. Joan of Are for letting us use their facilities to hold our yard sale. This event was a big success and to all of you who came out and shopped, we send our thanks. It took many hours putting this together and from the two co- chairs,wesay Thanks for a job well CHAIR continued on page 14 WNCAP continued on page 14
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