Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA-34) joined more than 300 individuals at Bienestar’s World AIDS Day commemoration event to honor family members and friends who passed away from HIV and AIDS. Bienestar, a non-profit organization that provides HIV/AIDS services to Latino families and other underserved individuals, conducted the event at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church in Placita Olvera in Downtown Los Angeles. Speaking entirely in Spanish, the congresswoman applauded Bienestar for its longstanding commitment to enhance the health and well-being of Latino and underserved communities through culturally appropriate services. She also commended each member of the audience for the support and hope they give to each other and to all who are directly or indirectly affected by HIV and AIDS. Established in 1989, Bienestar - which means "well-being" in Spanish - serves families throughout the counties of Los Angeles (with offices in East and South Los Angeles and Hollywood), San Bernardino, and San Diego by providing community education, advocacy, and other direct services such as HIV testing, counseling, and drug and alcohol education and prevention. Pictured from left to right in the second photo: Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard greets Father Richard Estrada and Father Steve Niskanen, who were officiating the Mass.

Below is the full text of the congresswoman’s remarks (click here for the Spanish version):

“It is my pleasure to welcome you to the 34th Congressional district and to this very special evening of remembrance. I thank Oscar for inviting me to join you his evening, and I commend him and Bienestar for a longstanding commitment to enhance the health and well-being of Latino and underserved communities through badly needed culturally appropriate services.

I also commend each and every one of you, in the audience, for your courage in the face of this devastating disease. And I commend you for the support and hope you give to each other and to all who are directly or indirectly affected by HIV and AIDS. It is an honor for me to be with you, your family and friends, to remember our loved ones who have passed away from AIDS. And it is an honor to join you to reaffirm our commitment to build upon our successful efforts to treat HIV as a manageable chronic disease and to reenergize our fight to prevent new infections. As we all know, Bienestar is a beacon of hope and comfort to HIV-positive individuals and their families. We also know that Bienestar is a leader in bringing HIV testing and counseling to hard-to-reach persons in need of appropriate and timely treatment. It is for that reason that I included $125,000 in this year’s health appropriations bill for Bienestar’s rapid HIV testing initiative. Regrettably, the President vetoed the health appropriations bill. Not only did this bill provide the money for Bienestar it also included an $84 million dollar increase for Ryan White HIV Care and a $33 million dollar increase for the AIDS Drug Assistance program.

But the battle is not over yet. I can assure you that I, and our new Democratic leadership in Congress will continue to fight to get this critical bill passed and signed into law. And with your continued support I know we will succeed.

As this evening’s theme suggests, in unity there is hope, and if I may add, in unity there is also victory. Your presence this evening is an important reaffirmation of our united effort to eliminate the spread and the stigma of HIV/AIDS. I thank you for that and I thank you for being an inspiration and constant reminder of the need for compassion and support for those living with this devastating disease. In your unity, you do make a positive difference.”
 

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