Episode 04: The HRC North Star edition (with Monique Tula)

Formerly the Vice President of Programs at AIDS United in Washington DC, and a twenty-plus-year veteran of the AIDS and harm reduction movements, Monique Tula in the summer of 2016 became the Executive Director of the Harm Reduction Coalition, one of the nation's foremost organizations in the field. On August 1, 2017, Tula dropped by the PDIS studios for a cup of coffee and to talk about the Harm Reduction Coalition's new North Star statement (www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsWmvQ7JxL8) emphasizing the harms of racist drug policy, and the role harm reduction can and should take in the wider movement for racial justice. To Monique, a knowledge of history is important, especially the unrecognized grass-roots and leadership positions black people have taken in the movement since the very beginning. Along the way, we also discussed her journey into harm reduction, the challenges of being a bicoastal activist, and (eleven days before the events in Charlottesville, Virginia) the potential for race war in Trump's America. On a lighter note, I asked her about "the moment I feared" (shout out to Slick Rick), when Monique revealed how she overcame her aversion to public speaking.