Segment 1: AIDS Walk Philly and AIDS Fund — Honoring a Legacy of Care
We’re joined by Evelyn Torres, Executive Director of Action Wellness, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with and affected by chronic illnesses, including HIV. Evelyn shares insights into the organization’s ongoing work to promote health and wellness, along with details about their upcoming special event — To honor the legacy of the AIDS Walk Philly and AIDS Fund, a retrospective celebration will be held on Sunday, October 19, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the William Way Community Center (1315 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA). Guests are encouraged to make a $25 suggested donation, which includes one entry into a raffle for two tickets to GayBINGO! The event will celebrate decades of community impact and the continued mission to support individuals living with and affected by HIV.
🌐 Website: actionwellness.org
📲 Socials: Instagram / Facebook / Bluesky / LinkedIn — @actionwellnessphl
📅 Event Info & RSVP: actionwellness.org/join-us/special-events/aids-walk-retrospective
Segment 2: Dr. Nina Ahmad — Leadership, Equity, and Community Health
We’re also joined by Dr. Nina Ahmad, Philadelphia City Councilmember At-Large — the first South Asian American, Muslim woman, and immigrant in recent history to serve on City Council. As Chair of the Committee on Public Health and Human Services and Vice-Chair of the Committee on Global Opportunities and the Creative Economy, Dr. Ahmad brings a scientific, data-driven approach to policymaking. Her work focuses on advancing equity, health, and opportunity for all Philadelphians. 🌐 Connect with Dr. Ahmad:
Website: phlcouncil.com/ninaahmad
X (Twitter): @cmninaahmad
Instagram / Facebook / Threads: @cmninaahmad
We’re joined by Evelyn Torres, Executive Director of Action Wellness, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living with and affected by chronic illnesses, including HIV. Evelyn shares insights into the organization’s ongoing work to promote health and wellness, along with details about their upcoming special event — To honor the legacy of the AIDS Walk Philly and AIDS Fund, a retrospective celebration will be held on Sunday, October 19, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM at the William Way Community Center (1315 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA). Guests are encouraged to make a $25 suggested donation, which includes one entry into a raffle for two tickets to GayBINGO! The event will celebrate decades of community impact and the continued mission to support individuals living with and affected by HIV.
🌐 Website: actionwellness.org
📲 Socials: Instagram / Facebook / Bluesky / LinkedIn — @actionwellnessphl
📅 Event Info & RSVP: actionwellness.org/join-us/special-events/aids-walk-retrospective
Segment 2: Dr. Nina Ahmad — Leadership, Equity, and Community Health
We’re also joined by Dr. Nina Ahmad, Philadelphia City Councilmember At-Large — the first South Asian American, Muslim woman, and immigrant in recent history to serve on City Council. As Chair of the Committee on Public Health and Human Services and Vice-Chair of the Committee on Global Opportunities and the Creative Economy, Dr. Ahmad brings a scientific, data-driven approach to policymaking. Her work focuses on advancing equity, health, and opportunity for all Philadelphians. 🌐 Connect with Dr. Ahmad:
Website: phlcouncil.com/ninaahmad
X (Twitter): @cmninaahmad
Instagram / Facebook / Threads: @cmninaahmad
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Good morning, and welcome to Insight, a show about empowering
our community. I'm Lorraine Baller. Tomorrow we'll be speaking with
Philadelphia City Council Member doctor Nina Ahmad, who joins us
to talk about leadership, equity and her efforts to advance
health and opportunity for all Philadelphians. But first, today, we're
joined by an Evelyn Torres, executive director of Action Wellness,
(00:20):
an organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living
with and affected by chronic illnesses, including HIV. We'll be
talking about their ongoing work to promote health and wellness,
and also an upcoming special event, a retrospective celebration of
the AIDS Walk legacy, happening on October nineteenth, which also
(00:40):
includes a raffle for gay bingo and tickets. Evelyn, it's
so great to talk to you, but it's also a
very sad moment for me because I have been covering
the HIV epidemic for decades, and I have seen the
evolution of this disease over the course of many many years,
(01:01):
and certainly have been involved in the AIDS Walk for
also very many decades. I think pretty much since the
very beginning of this event. Well, the AIDS Walk is
no longer, but there is a wonderful celebration that will
be marking the end of the AIDS Walk and also
reflecting on the progress that has been made in this
(01:24):
HIV epidemic, but also the future of our organizing around
this event. So Evelyn tell us a little bit first
about Action Wellness and what you do.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Sure. So, Action Wellness started in nineteen eighty six by
a group of dedicated volunteers in response to the age crisis,
and today we serve two thousand clients a year and
it is primarily individuals and their families living with HIV
or at risk of HIV. And so we have a
dedicated staff of eighty employees. And again we were started
(02:01):
by volunteers and volunteers are still very critical to our mission.
So we have about one hundred and fifty volunteers who
also contribute to our mission as well. And we provide
a myriad of services free of charge, again to support
people living with HIV and know that risk of HIV.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
For so many years I had in my calendar the
AIDS Walk, an extraordinary event that brought tens of thousands
of people to the museum area over the many decades,
and just to be able to have this opportunity to
commune with people who are either living with HIV or
have lost individuals to HIV. It was always a very
(02:40):
moving experience and also a very uplifting one because the
idea of it was to address the misconceptions about HIV
and AIDS, but also to provide support and an understanding
of what the disease was and to support the aim
of the AIDE Fund, which has provided so much assistance
(03:03):
to so many people over these many years. And I'm
getting a little emotional here.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
I wonder it's sad. It's a sad yes.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yes, So it October marks this special retrospective celebrating the
legacy of the AIDE Walk Philly. So tell us more
about why it's ending and what this celebration means.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Sure, So a little bit about the Age Walk, as
you know, it started in nineteen eighty seven, and it
was really at that point by the LGBTQ plus communities
volunteers coming together to provide really a megaphone right at
a time when people weren't talking about HIV, at a
time when people didn't know what HIV was. All about
and so during its thirty eight years, it has really
(03:45):
been a critical component of raising not only raising funds
for people with HIV, but providing, like you say, that megaphone,
that education, and in part due to the AIDS walk,
we are where we're at and now we are talking
about ending and that the day. That was not the
case when we first started the Age Walk. People were
dying within six months of being diagnosed. We were all
(04:08):
losing loved ones. And so again because of the Age
Walk and many other things that came together, we're now
talking about ending epidemic. Unfortunately, we made the decision to
end the walk because of rising costs, especially around and
again I'm not faulting the city. The city has to
do what it has to do, but rising costs. You
(04:30):
can imagine what it takes to close down the areas
around the art museum, police presence and so forth. Also
the changing commitment of sponsors. The sponsors, especially corporate sponsors
have gone in a different direction. Donors as well, and
just the declining walkers, the declining people that were coming.
And you've been involved with that many years and you
(04:52):
could see, I mean we went from thousands of people
at the onset right to really last year, I think
it was a thousand pe walked. So again for all
those decisions and also the capacity, and so when the
age Fund ended, right, they gifted us two events, which
was gay Bingo, the monthly events that we still continue
to do, and the Age Walk. But again it was
(05:14):
a very difficult decision and we had to because of
the rising costs and all the reasons I talked about.
And also I think conversely, it really is looking at
a different time now right for HIV because of the
medical advances, because of the funding we've had in the past.
And that doesn't mean we don't need more funding and
we don't need donations to continue to provide our critical
(05:36):
work here, but we are talking about ending an epidemic,
which is it's forty years. That's kind of mind boggling.
Like you, I've been involved with HIV for many, many years.
I started as a case manager. I started because I
lost loved ones families to HIV and to see the
progress we've made it's incredible, and so we will continue funderings.
(06:01):
It's because we need fundrating to end the epidemic. We're
not there yet, but I think we'll just do it
in different ways, recognizing that we're in a different point
and moment in time.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yeah. Well, as you mentioned, when we first started being
active in this space, HIV and age was invariably a
fatal disease, and we certainly lost so many people to
this epidemic, and at the time and for many years
after that, the idea that we might actually end this
(06:34):
epidemic was inconceivable. We had no hope or idea. We
certainly were going to push for it, push for a cure,
push for vaccinations, push for treatments, but at the end
of the day, I think because of the severity of
the disease, I think there was no idea that there
would be a light at the end of that very
(06:54):
very long tunnel. But in fact, we have made progress
and we are really on the verge of being able
to end this epidemic. There's still much to go, and
certainly we still experience stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS, and
that's something that we need to still continue to push for,
(07:16):
which is understanding what HIV is and what one needs
to do in order to get to zero and you
can you can get to zero infections. There is so
much out there available. It makes me so excited to
even talk about it, but it is a sad moment
because it was such a moving event and looking at
the HIV timeline, that was a physical row of placards
(07:42):
that lined the Art Museum that basically outlined the history
of this epidemic. And now this is an epidemic that
could potentially end. But we need to support those who
like you, are working to help those who are living
with HIV. Look for those who are looking to prevent infection,
(08:05):
and that's what Action Wellness is able to do. And
you're continuing to do with fundraisers like gay Bingo, which continues,
which I have to say that I have celebrated many
birthdays at gay Bingo and it's an absolutely fantastic event.
So tell us about the specific event that's happening in
October nineteenth. Tell us where it's going to happen, happen,
(08:27):
what we can expect for this event, and what we
can do to support it.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Sure. So, this event, which we are calling the retrospective
of the Age Walk. Age Walk Retrospective is taking place
on the nineteenth Sunday, on the day of the walk
who would have taken place, and we're having it at
William Way, which we're very excited about because again the
walk started at Penguin Place, which which the genesis of
(08:52):
William Way by community members getting together and wanting to
do something. So we're happy to be able to do
this at William Way. And so what's going to happen
is this is really allowing a space for anybody who's
been involved or not or not involved in the walk
in any way to come get together in community to
kind of commemorate the ones we've lost, commemorate the walk,
(09:16):
remember the walk. There will be items from past events
on display. William Waye's staff is going to be having
guided towards. It's a wonderful space, so if people haven't
been in it out of itself, William Waite is a
wonderful space that will be having guided tours. We'll be
having light refreshments and also with having speakers as well
like yourself, will be speaking to their experience and their
(09:39):
time at the Age Walk. And so again it's going
to be free for the public. So we are asking
for a twenty five dollars donation to your point. If
you do that, you get an entry and can get
two tickets to our gay Bingo events just a little
bit of our gay bingo events. They're monthly events. They're
not your grandma's bingo either, are themed bingos that are
(09:59):
over the top with performances. We have our Bengo verifying Divas,
we have our two hostesses with the most Stelladora and
Carlott attendant, and so it's a lot of fun and
I think that also is a space of joy of
resilience that people can go to too and celebrate. And
again to your point, we are at the end, but
(10:22):
we still need help, right, We still need funding, We
still need assistance and not only Action Wants but all
the organizations that do great work here in the city
with people with HIV. And so that's another way to
contribute against the events at William Way thirteen to fifteenth Spruce.
But what you can do too is go to wwactionwannis
(10:44):
dot org, go to our special events page and that
will give you information not only about the retrospective but
also our gay Bingo events. And again we're asking people
to wear their old garb, if they had ay, if
they have their the Age Walk t shirts, please wear
the if you have them. We're read If you don't
and if you don't, come as you are, but again
(11:05):
we're very excited. We'll be from ten to two. You
will have a sectional speaker who speak to the walk,
and also some light refreshments as well and guided towards.
So we're excited about it and I think it's the
right place to have it. So we're thanks to Darius MacLean,
the executive director of William Way Center, for allowing us
to be there and his staff.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Well. I look forward to being there. I look forward
to speaking and sharing my own thoughts about this extraordinary
event that happened every year usually I guess on the
third Sunday in October. And a special shout out to
Rob Reichert, who was the executive director of the AIDS Fund,
(11:44):
who really was behind the Aide Walk, helping to organize
it and continued on through the many decades and also
towards the end did something very innovative I thought, which
was to take the money raised from the Aid's Walk
and provide micro grants to individuals who needed the simple
(12:04):
things a mattress so they could sleep, or a refrigerator,
a small refrigerator so they could store their medications. The
kinds of things that people needed in order to stay
healthy and to stay on their medication. And Rob Briker,
what an innovative guy he is and was for this
organization and for this movement Evelyn. Once again, if people
(12:28):
want more information, what is that website? One more time?
Speaker 2 (12:32):
So yes, I'll give you that. But I also want
to do a shout out to Rob Briker. I mean,
he was an incredible individual. He's an incredible executive director.
He was innovative in terms of we still do these
his legacy, We still do these small micro grants that
make such a difference to the people of people with
HIV and lives of people with HIV. So thank you
to Rob, and thank you to a staff I don't
(12:53):
know how I did it, staff of three. I always say,
you know, we've seen the magic, we see behind the magic.
And so again thank you to them. And and so if
you're interested, you can go to www. Actionwannus dot org
and go to our special events page. Again, if you
can make a donation, that's great, But if you can't,
we welcome you to come again where your are. I'll
(13:16):
come and join us. I think it's going to be
especially but we're also encouraging people just to OURCP please
so that we have a sense of how many people
are going to come to the center. We're excited, sad,
but yet I think some joy here to be had.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Yes, it's going to be a celebration of the AIDS
Walk legacy happening October nineteenth, and I think it's a
wonderful testimony to the power of volunteerism, the power of
community activism, because it really started just like Action Wellness did,
but the AIDS Walk started with a bunch of volunteers
who said we need to stand up, we need to
(13:51):
speak out, and we need to raise awareness about HIV
and AIDS and raise money to help end this plague,
this disease, this epidemic. It looks like because of the
efforts of the individuals like Rob Reichert and so many
people Action Wellness, all the folks out there who've advocated
for people living with HIV and age, this is where
(14:13):
we are now. We've come a long way, we still
have a ways to go, but this will be an
opportunity for us to reflect and look ahead to the
future of this epidemic and how we can raise awareness
about the stigma and eliminate that and get down to
zero stigma, zero infections, and zero deaths.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Yeah, and I guess said to your point right, we
would not be here today without the activism of our
community who stood up for people in HIV when nobody
was doing that. And Rob Bryker was part of that,
and the walk was part of that. So we are
here because of that. I'm thankful and grateful.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
Yes, looking forward to it. October nineteenth. Evelyn tauris executive
director of Action Wellness and organization dedicated to improving the
lives of people living with an affected by chronic illnesses,
including HIV, and as a the forefront of this retrospective
celebration of the AIDS Walk legacy on October nineteenth. Thank
you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Thank you, Loreen, It's been a pleasure. See you soon.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Today we're joined by doctor Nina Ahmad, Philadelphia City Council
Member at Large, the first South Asian American Muslim woman
and immigrant in recent history to serve on City Council
as Chair of the Committee on Public Health and Human
Services and Vice Chair of the Committee on Global Opportunities
and the Creative Economy. Doctor Ahmad brings a scientific, data
(15:40):
driven approach to policymaking. Her work focuses on advancing equity, health,
and opportunity for all Philadelphians. So I am so delighted
to speak with you today, and you have broken so
many barriers as the first South Asian American and woman
to serve on Philadelphia City Council. How has your identity
shape your approach to leadership and representation?
Speaker 3 (16:03):
You know, we all hold multiple identities, and some take
the forefront in some situations and others take it in
other situations. The primary identity I think that shapes my
path forward is being a woman, and secondary to death
is being a mother. So I have a particular lens
(16:23):
that I bring. And when you add recent immigrants, when
you add a Muslim woman, all of that makes it
that there are going to be barriers. I acknowledge that
and I have to be ready to break through them.
And I cannot let temporary setbacks allow me to be
discouraged permanently. We're all discouraged at the moment, But you know,
(16:44):
in general, I have really prospered in this city by
all accounts, with many things that could have set me back,
Philadelphia helped me go forward. So I'm very grateful to Philadelphia,
particularly to those Philadelphia who have my back.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Yes, and I have to acknowledge you. You have worked
so hard in city government for so many years, and
you've also run for office a number of times, and
the political process is just savage, and you've managed to
press forward. And now you are city council member now
as chair of the Public Health and Service Human Services Committee.
(17:22):
What are some of the most pressing health or social
issues you're tackling right now and how are you engaging
communities in this process.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
Just to talk about something I did recently a couple
of days ago, actually right in City Council in our
caucus room, I had a check presentation to organization called
Once Upon a Premier who was awarded a grant for
doing implicit bias training, that is to address the medical
racism that is prevalent in our institutions, but more importantly,
(17:55):
how it impacts maternal care. It is known throughout the
world that we have gone back in terms of safety
for mothers when they give birth. Twenty five years ago,
things were better. We have gone back in time and
here in Philadelphia, black women die three times more than
white women in childbirth, So all women do worse now,
(18:19):
and particularly black women. So it is an imperative issue
that we address and how we dismantle what stands in
the way of having equity in the maternal care space
is what I've been addressing, and so I was very
very pleased to hand over that ceremonial check. But what
(18:40):
I'm most interested is to get the results to see
how we are going to implement this city Why this
is for city workers in healthcare centers. Anybody who works
with a city in maternal care will have this training,
which she is getting it ready to train eight thousand people.
So that's one of the ways, you know, the issue
that I care about are coming to the forefront. Just today,
(19:03):
I introduced a bill on making sure menstruation, perimenopause, and
menopause are not conditions that are discriminated against, and that
we make workplace accommodations. That bill just got introduced today.
It's going to go to a committee and then have
a hearing. So I'm trying to cover all ends of
the spectrum for the lives we lead. You know, these
(19:24):
are natural things that happen in a woman's life, and
yet it is hidden, not spoken about, and when we
speak it, when we air it, we begin to normalize it.
City council is seventeen people, ten are men and seven
are women. We're not quite the fifty two percent that
we are in the general population. However, I don't know
(19:47):
that there's ever been a discussion clearly and openly about menopause,
and we need to do that. Those are some of
the ways that I've been working to make equitable progress
for an issue that I've worked on a long time.
I used to be the president of the local chapter
of the National Organization for Women, I was the statewide chapter,
(20:09):
and I also served on the national board, and I
have been a member for a long time. This is
something that has been a passion because we really don't
have equity in that space yet.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
So what specifically does your initiative engage in.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
So these will be general workplace accommodations for example, temperature
control for example, uniforms to be breathable, uniforms, making sure
you can get privacy, and some space when you're experiencing
some issues. Any three of those spaces right a menstruation,
menopause or perimenopause, and very big aspect is going to
(20:45):
be the education that comes along with it, and what
are our options in this bill. I don't address this yet,
but I really want conversation about what are the options
available for people in any of these three spaces. There
are some medical conditions that we need to address, and
for that we need our federal government, our state government,
(21:06):
our local government all to be aware, such as prescribing
things as hormones, such as making sure these workplace accommodations
are across the board, hopefully not just in Philadelphia but
all of Pennsylvania. So it is going to have some
legs beyond just this particular bill about accommodations and no discrimination.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
You also allocated five hundred thousand dollars to combat human trafficking.
Can you talk more about that? What does that five
hundred thousand dollars do?
Speaker 3 (21:35):
So that is going to be for a prevention and
awareness campaign, heavy on the awareness coming up we twenty
twenty six is going to be a very busy year
for us in Philadelphia. We're going to have an influx
of people from all over and we're going to have
a lot of sporting events and I can tell you anecdotally,
human trafficking goes up, particularly sex trafficking when we have
(21:59):
such events in any space. So trying to be proactive
about this and wanting to make sure Philadelphia is a
fun city but Philadelphia is a safe city. We want
both of those things to be operating and for everybody.
We're launching this in this year. I hope this is
going to go forward longer than that. It's going to
(22:19):
live beyond just a one year. But this year we're
working with many stakeholders to come up with a good
plan that we can actually have some impact in both
awareness and prevention.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
Your voter registration bill encourages participation in democracy. How do
you see this legislation influencing voter turnout and civic involvement
across Philadelphia.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
I am very very excited about this bill. It seems
like a small lift, but I think it has big impact.
This is about asking landlords to give renters. They're supposed
to give them a package of information when they come in,
and we are adding a voter registration in to that package.
The landlord literally doesn't have to do much. Ellen I
(23:05):
is making sure that this information is included, and it's
going to be included in multiple languages, and so when
a renter gets it, they're going to be you know,
going through it and they'll see, hah, here's a keyr
code for me to check when I moved, did I
have to reregister? Am I in the same division? To
make sure that we are redundant in our information about
(23:27):
voting right, we already know there's lack of participation. So
as many times as we can touch someone to say
this is your civic duty, that many died for us
to have this opportunity to exercise our franchise. And that's
really the intent of this is to have multiple ways
to touch someone to be a civic participant in our
(23:48):
life and you know, really participate in our democracy.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
Doctor mad I think it'd be interesting to talk a
bit about your background, because you're not a typical elected official.
You are a scientist and you have had a long
history doing research. And I remember at an event that
you talked about the impact of sexism on your career
(24:12):
in the sciences, and I'm sure that that probably helps
inform your mission to uplift women. But I wonder if
you could share a little bit about your background and
how it does inform why you do what you do.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
Doing science, and particularly I did my PhD in chemistry
from the University of Pennsylvania. Then I did a post
doc at Jefferson. Then I worked at a joint to
appoint me to Jefferson and Wills I Hospital. That entire
space is populated mostly by men, and mostly by white men,
so that awareness of who I am and what I
(24:46):
bring to the table outside of just my technical skills
can really impact how I do my work. And bringing
that awareness to people has been a mission always of
saying who I am, what's important to me, and why
that is more than just me, It is about other
women and encouraging others to come into this space. Science
(25:08):
and technology are at the forefront of progress in the world,
not just here. So the more we have a workplace
that is hospitable to women, hospitable to people who are
maybe first gen getting into science. I actually am working
with the program at penn Pennsylvania about first time students
(25:32):
their first engagement with research. Right, how do we encourage
that because there's some barriers that most people who are
comfortable would not even imagine. So that has been my
mission always to share and eliminate. And now I'm in
a position to do policy, which makes you really excited
that I can take some of that and put it
(25:52):
into real action that can impact a lot more people
than me just meeting one person one at a time.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Also, your status as someone who was an immigrant coming
into this country certainly has to have an impact. And
I know that in my own case. My mother was
an immigrant and went through many hardships to get here
and got here. And I wonder if you can talk
a little bit about your own personal journey and how
that impacts your worldview of the role of those people
(26:21):
who come to this country for opportunities but right now
are not viewed in a very positive way because of
the current administration. I wonder if you can just reflect
on that a little bit.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
I grew up during a war and left a war
torn country. Talk about being traumatized and how to survive
trauma was because I had a very strong community, my
immediate family and extended family who cocooned us children through
that process. I know what it means to survive and
(26:56):
what are the tools that we need to survive. So,
whether you're coming from a war torn country or you're
just escaping economic hardships or gang warfare or something to
come somewhere else, where it's supposed to be safe. I
have that lens to understand what that person might be
going through, and how do we make sure that they
(27:17):
can see themselves in this new country, how they are
just as important, regardless of their language skills, regardless of
their culture, and how they're fitting in. And that is
something that I keep in mind when I do. For example,
the voter registration information is going to be in multiple languages.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
If people want more information about all these initiatives we
talked about, or want to connect with you in any way,
how do they do that.
Speaker 3 (27:41):
We are in room five seven seven in City Hall,
fifth floor. You are welcome any time to stop by.
You can call our office two one five six eight
six three four five zero two one five six eight
six three four five zero, and you can go to
our and all my socials. Let me just give you
(28:01):
my handouts at CMAHMAD on all my socials so they
can find me there. We try to post as much
of the information we can, and you can email through
our web page that's on council. If you go to
Philadelphia City Council, you can leave a message. We actually
check those messages and we respond to people. So there's
(28:23):
multiple ways to get in touch, and once you get
in touch, we can then give you know. If I
have to spell out my scheduling person's name, it's a
very long name, so it's best to contact us and
we respond to you.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Fantastic doctor Nina Ahmad, Philadelphia City Council Member at Large,
the first South Asian American Muslim woman and immigrant in
recent history to serve on city council. She is engaged
with many issues that directly impact us, including women's health,
civic engagement, and community connection. Thank you so much for
(28:56):
joining us here today. We appreciate it. You can listen
to all of the day's interviews by going to our
station website and typing in keyword community. You can also
listen on the iHeartRadio app ye Words Philadelphia Community Podcast.
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard. I'm
Lorraine Ballard MOREL and I stand for service to our
community and media that empowers. What will you stand for?
(29:19):
You've been listening to Insight and thank you
Good morning, and welcome to Insight, a show about empowering
our community. I'm Lorraine Baller. Tomorrow we'll be speaking with
Philadelphia City Council Member doctor Nina Ahmad, who joins us
to talk about leadership, equity and her efforts to advance
health and opportunity for all Philadelphians. But first, today, we're
joined by an Evelyn Torres, executive director of Action Wellness,
(00:20):
an organization dedicated to improving the lives of people living
with and affected by chronic illnesses, including HIV. We'll be
talking about their ongoing work to promote health and wellness,
and also an upcoming special event, a retrospective celebration of
the AIDS Walk legacy, happening on October nineteenth, which also
(00:40):
includes a raffle for gay bingo and tickets. Evelyn, it's
so great to talk to you, but it's also a
very sad moment for me because I have been covering
the HIV epidemic for decades, and I have seen the
evolution of this disease over the course of many many years,
(01:01):
and certainly have been involved in the AIDS Walk for
also very many decades. I think pretty much since the
very beginning of this event. Well, the AIDS Walk is
no longer, but there is a wonderful celebration that will
be marking the end of the AIDS Walk and also
reflecting on the progress that has been made in this
(01:24):
HIV epidemic, but also the future of our organizing around
this event. So Evelyn tell us a little bit first
about Action Wellness and what you do.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
Sure. So, Action Wellness started in nineteen eighty six by
a group of dedicated volunteers in response to the age crisis,
and today we serve two thousand clients a year and
it is primarily individuals and their families living with HIV
or at risk of HIV. And so we have a
dedicated staff of eighty employees. And again we were started
(02:01):
by volunteers and volunteers are still very critical to our mission.
So we have about one hundred and fifty volunteers who
also contribute to our mission as well. And we provide
a myriad of services free of charge, again to support
people living with HIV and know that risk of HIV.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
For so many years I had in my calendar the
AIDS Walk, an extraordinary event that brought tens of thousands
of people to the museum area over the many decades,
and just to be able to have this opportunity to
commune with people who are either living with HIV or
have lost individuals to HIV. It was always a very
(02:40):
moving experience and also a very uplifting one because the
idea of it was to address the misconceptions about HIV
and AIDS, but also to provide support and an understanding
of what the disease was and to support the aim
of the AIDE Fund, which has provided so much assistance
(03:03):
to so many people over these many years. And I'm
getting a little emotional here.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
I wonder it's sad. It's a sad yes.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
Yes, So it October marks this special retrospective celebrating the
legacy of the AIDE Walk Philly. So tell us more
about why it's ending and what this celebration means.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
Sure, So a little bit about the Age Walk, as
you know, it started in nineteen eighty seven, and it
was really at that point by the LGBTQ plus communities
volunteers coming together to provide really a megaphone right at
a time when people weren't talking about HIV, at a
time when people didn't know what HIV was. All about
and so during its thirty eight years, it has really
(03:45):
been a critical component of raising not only raising funds
for people with HIV, but providing, like you say, that megaphone,
that education, and in part due to the AIDS walk,
we are where we're at and now we are talking
about ending and that the day. That was not the
case when we first started the Age Walk. People were
dying within six months of being diagnosed. We were all
(04:08):
losing loved ones. And so again because of the Age
Walk and many other things that came together, we're now
talking about ending epidemic. Unfortunately, we made the decision to
end the walk because of rising costs, especially around and
again I'm not faulting the city. The city has to
do what it has to do, but rising costs. You
(04:30):
can imagine what it takes to close down the areas
around the art museum, police presence and so forth. Also
the changing commitment of sponsors. The sponsors, especially corporate sponsors
have gone in a different direction. Donors as well, and
just the declining walkers, the declining people that were coming.
And you've been involved with that many years and you
(04:52):
could see, I mean we went from thousands of people
at the onset right to really last year, I think
it was a thousand pe walked. So again for all
those decisions and also the capacity, and so when the
age Fund ended, right, they gifted us two events, which
was gay Bingo, the monthly events that we still continue
to do, and the Age Walk. But again it was
(05:14):
a very difficult decision and we had to because of
the rising costs and all the reasons I talked about.
And also I think conversely, it really is looking at
a different time now right for HIV because of the
medical advances, because of the funding we've had in the past.
And that doesn't mean we don't need more funding and
we don't need donations to continue to provide our critical
(05:36):
work here, but we are talking about ending an epidemic,
which is it's forty years. That's kind of mind boggling.
Like you, I've been involved with HIV for many, many years.
I started as a case manager. I started because I
lost loved ones families to HIV and to see the
progress we've made it's incredible, and so we will continue funderings.
(06:01):
It's because we need fundrating to end the epidemic. We're
not there yet, but I think we'll just do it
in different ways, recognizing that we're in a different point
and moment in time.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yeah. Well, as you mentioned, when we first started being
active in this space, HIV and age was invariably a
fatal disease, and we certainly lost so many people to
this epidemic, and at the time and for many years
after that, the idea that we might actually end this
(06:34):
epidemic was inconceivable. We had no hope or idea. We
certainly were going to push for it, push for a cure,
push for vaccinations, push for treatments, but at the end
of the day, I think because of the severity of
the disease, I think there was no idea that there
would be a light at the end of that very
(06:54):
very long tunnel. But in fact, we have made progress
and we are really on the verge of being able
to end this epidemic. There's still much to go, and
certainly we still experience stigma surrounding HIV and AIDS, and
that's something that we need to still continue to push for,
(07:16):
which is understanding what HIV is and what one needs
to do in order to get to zero and you
can you can get to zero infections. There is so
much out there available. It makes me so excited to
even talk about it, but it is a sad moment
because it was such a moving event and looking at
the HIV timeline, that was a physical row of placards
(07:42):
that lined the Art Museum that basically outlined the history
of this epidemic. And now this is an epidemic that
could potentially end. But we need to support those who
like you, are working to help those who are living
with HIV. Look for those who are looking to prevent infection,
(08:05):
and that's what Action Wellness is able to do. And
you're continuing to do with fundraisers like gay Bingo, which continues,
which I have to say that I have celebrated many
birthdays at gay Bingo and it's an absolutely fantastic event.
So tell us about the specific event that's happening in
October nineteenth. Tell us where it's going to happen, happen,
(08:27):
what we can expect for this event, and what we
can do to support it.
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Sure. So, this event, which we are calling the retrospective
of the Age Walk. Age Walk Retrospective is taking place
on the nineteenth Sunday, on the day of the walk
who would have taken place, and we're having it at
William Way, which we're very excited about because again the
walk started at Penguin Place, which which the genesis of
(08:52):
William Way by community members getting together and wanting to
do something. So we're happy to be able to do
this at William Way. And so what's going to happen
is this is really allowing a space for anybody who's
been involved or not or not involved in the walk
in any way to come get together in community to
kind of commemorate the ones we've lost, commemorate the walk,
(09:16):
remember the walk. There will be items from past events
on display. William Waye's staff is going to be having
guided towards. It's a wonderful space, so if people haven't
been in it out of itself, William Waite is a
wonderful space that will be having guided tours. We'll be
having light refreshments and also with having speakers as well
like yourself, will be speaking to their experience and their
(09:39):
time at the Age Walk. And so again it's going
to be free for the public. So we are asking
for a twenty five dollars donation to your point. If
you do that, you get an entry and can get
two tickets to our gay Bingo events just a little
bit of our gay bingo events. They're monthly events. They're
not your grandma's bingo either, are themed bingos that are
(09:59):
over the top with performances. We have our Bengo verifying Divas,
we have our two hostesses with the most Stelladora and
Carlott attendant, and so it's a lot of fun and
I think that also is a space of joy of
resilience that people can go to too and celebrate. And
again to your point, we are at the end, but
(10:22):
we still need help, right, We still need funding, We
still need assistance and not only Action Wants but all
the organizations that do great work here in the city
with people with HIV. And so that's another way to
contribute against the events at William Way thirteen to fifteenth Spruce.
But what you can do too is go to wwactionwannis
(10:44):
dot org, go to our special events page and that
will give you information not only about the retrospective but
also our gay Bingo events. And again we're asking people
to wear their old garb, if they had ay, if
they have their the Age Walk t shirts, please wear
the if you have them. We're read If you don't
and if you don't, come as you are, but again
(11:05):
we're very excited. We'll be from ten to two. You
will have a sectional speaker who speak to the walk,
and also some light refreshments as well and guided towards.
So we're excited about it and I think it's the
right place to have it. So we're thanks to Darius MacLean,
the executive director of William Way Center, for allowing us
to be there and his staff.
Speaker 1 (11:23):
Well. I look forward to being there. I look forward
to speaking and sharing my own thoughts about this extraordinary
event that happened every year usually I guess on the
third Sunday in October. And a special shout out to
Rob Reichert, who was the executive director of the AIDS Fund,
(11:44):
who really was behind the Aide Walk, helping to organize
it and continued on through the many decades and also
towards the end did something very innovative I thought, which
was to take the money raised from the Aid's Walk
and provide micro grants to individuals who needed the simple
(12:04):
things a mattress so they could sleep, or a refrigerator,
a small refrigerator so they could store their medications. The
kinds of things that people needed in order to stay
healthy and to stay on their medication. And Rob Briker,
what an innovative guy he is and was for this
organization and for this movement Evelyn. Once again, if people
(12:28):
want more information, what is that website? One more time?
Speaker 2 (12:32):
So yes, I'll give you that. But I also want
to do a shout out to Rob Briker. I mean,
he was an incredible individual. He's an incredible executive director.
He was innovative in terms of we still do these
his legacy, We still do these small micro grants that
make such a difference to the people of people with
HIV and lives of people with HIV. So thank you
to Rob, and thank you to a staff I don't
(12:53):
know how I did it, staff of three. I always say,
you know, we've seen the magic, we see behind the magic.
And so again thank you to them. And and so if
you're interested, you can go to www. Actionwannus dot org
and go to our special events page. Again, if you
can make a donation, that's great, But if you can't,
we welcome you to come again where your are. I'll
(13:16):
come and join us. I think it's going to be
especially but we're also encouraging people just to OURCP please
so that we have a sense of how many people
are going to come to the center. We're excited, sad,
but yet I think some joy here to be had.
Speaker 1 (13:30):
Yes, it's going to be a celebration of the AIDS
Walk legacy happening October nineteenth, and I think it's a
wonderful testimony to the power of volunteerism, the power of
community activism, because it really started just like Action Wellness did,
but the AIDS Walk started with a bunch of volunteers
who said we need to stand up, we need to
(13:51):
speak out, and we need to raise awareness about HIV
and AIDS and raise money to help end this plague,
this disease, this epidemic. It looks like because of the
efforts of the individuals like Rob Reichert and so many
people Action Wellness, all the folks out there who've advocated
for people living with HIV and age, this is where
(14:13):
we are now. We've come a long way, we still
have a ways to go, but this will be an
opportunity for us to reflect and look ahead to the
future of this epidemic and how we can raise awareness
about the stigma and eliminate that and get down to
zero stigma, zero infections, and zero deaths.
Speaker 2 (14:33):
Yeah, and I guess said to your point right, we
would not be here today without the activism of our
community who stood up for people in HIV when nobody
was doing that. And Rob Bryker was part of that,
and the walk was part of that. So we are
here because of that. I'm thankful and grateful.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
Yes, looking forward to it. October nineteenth. Evelyn tauris executive
director of Action Wellness and organization dedicated to improving the
lives of people living with an affected by chronic illnesses,
including HIV, and as a the forefront of this retrospective
celebration of the AIDS Walk legacy on October nineteenth. Thank
you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
Thank you, Loreen, It's been a pleasure. See you soon.
Speaker 1 (15:19):
Today we're joined by doctor Nina Ahmad, Philadelphia City Council
Member at Large, the first South Asian American Muslim woman
and immigrant in recent history to serve on City Council
as Chair of the Committee on Public Health and Human
Services and Vice Chair of the Committee on Global Opportunities
and the Creative Economy. Doctor Ahmad brings a scientific, data
(15:40):
driven approach to policymaking. Her work focuses on advancing equity, health,
and opportunity for all Philadelphians. So I am so delighted
to speak with you today, and you have broken so
many barriers as the first South Asian American and woman
to serve on Philadelphia City Council. How has your identity
shape your approach to leadership and representation?
Speaker 3 (16:03):
You know, we all hold multiple identities, and some take
the forefront in some situations and others take it in
other situations. The primary identity I think that shapes my
path forward is being a woman, and secondary to death
is being a mother. So I have a particular lens
(16:23):
that I bring. And when you add recent immigrants, when
you add a Muslim woman, all of that makes it
that there are going to be barriers. I acknowledge that
and I have to be ready to break through them.
And I cannot let temporary setbacks allow me to be
discouraged permanently. We're all discouraged at the moment, But you know,
(16:44):
in general, I have really prospered in this city by
all accounts, with many things that could have set me back,
Philadelphia helped me go forward. So I'm very grateful to Philadelphia,
particularly to those Philadelphia who have my back.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Yes, and I have to acknowledge you. You have worked
so hard in city government for so many years, and
you've also run for office a number of times, and
the political process is just savage, and you've managed to
press forward. And now you are city council member now
as chair of the Public Health and Service Human Services Committee.
(17:22):
What are some of the most pressing health or social
issues you're tackling right now and how are you engaging
communities in this process.
Speaker 3 (17:29):
Just to talk about something I did recently a couple
of days ago, actually right in City Council in our
caucus room, I had a check presentation to organization called
Once Upon a Premier who was awarded a grant for
doing implicit bias training, that is to address the medical
racism that is prevalent in our institutions, but more importantly,
(17:55):
how it impacts maternal care. It is known throughout the
world that we have gone back in terms of safety
for mothers when they give birth. Twenty five years ago,
things were better. We have gone back in time and
here in Philadelphia, black women die three times more than
white women in childbirth, So all women do worse now,
(18:19):
and particularly black women. So it is an imperative issue
that we address and how we dismantle what stands in
the way of having equity in the maternal care space
is what I've been addressing, and so I was very
very pleased to hand over that ceremonial check. But what
(18:40):
I'm most interested is to get the results to see
how we are going to implement this city Why this
is for city workers in healthcare centers. Anybody who works
with a city in maternal care will have this training,
which she is getting it ready to train eight thousand people.
So that's one of the ways, you know, the issue
that I care about are coming to the forefront. Just today,
(19:03):
I introduced a bill on making sure menstruation, perimenopause, and
menopause are not conditions that are discriminated against, and that
we make workplace accommodations. That bill just got introduced today.
It's going to go to a committee and then have
a hearing. So I'm trying to cover all ends of
the spectrum for the lives we lead. You know, these
(19:24):
are natural things that happen in a woman's life, and
yet it is hidden, not spoken about, and when we
speak it, when we air it, we begin to normalize it.
City council is seventeen people, ten are men and seven
are women. We're not quite the fifty two percent that
we are in the general population. However, I don't know
(19:47):
that there's ever been a discussion clearly and openly about menopause,
and we need to do that. Those are some of
the ways that I've been working to make equitable progress
for an issue that I've worked on a long time.
I used to be the president of the local chapter
of the National Organization for Women, I was the statewide chapter,
(20:09):
and I also served on the national board, and I
have been a member for a long time. This is
something that has been a passion because we really don't
have equity in that space yet.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
So what specifically does your initiative engage in.
Speaker 3 (20:23):
So these will be general workplace accommodations for example, temperature
control for example, uniforms to be breathable, uniforms, making sure
you can get privacy, and some space when you're experiencing
some issues. Any three of those spaces right a menstruation,
menopause or perimenopause, and very big aspect is going to
(20:45):
be the education that comes along with it, and what
are our options in this bill. I don't address this yet,
but I really want conversation about what are the options
available for people in any of these three spaces. There
are some medical conditions that we need to address, and
for that we need our federal government, our state government,
(21:06):
our local government all to be aware, such as prescribing
things as hormones, such as making sure these workplace accommodations
are across the board, hopefully not just in Philadelphia but
all of Pennsylvania. So it is going to have some
legs beyond just this particular bill about accommodations and no discrimination.
Speaker 1 (21:26):
You also allocated five hundred thousand dollars to combat human trafficking.
Can you talk more about that? What does that five
hundred thousand dollars do?
Speaker 3 (21:35):
So that is going to be for a prevention and
awareness campaign, heavy on the awareness coming up we twenty
twenty six is going to be a very busy year
for us in Philadelphia. We're going to have an influx
of people from all over and we're going to have
a lot of sporting events and I can tell you anecdotally,
human trafficking goes up, particularly sex trafficking when we have
(21:59):
such events in any space. So trying to be proactive
about this and wanting to make sure Philadelphia is a
fun city but Philadelphia is a safe city. We want
both of those things to be operating and for everybody.
We're launching this in this year. I hope this is
going to go forward longer than that. It's going to
(22:19):
live beyond just a one year. But this year we're
working with many stakeholders to come up with a good
plan that we can actually have some impact in both
awareness and prevention.
Speaker 1 (22:32):
Your voter registration bill encourages participation in democracy. How do
you see this legislation influencing voter turnout and civic involvement
across Philadelphia.
Speaker 3 (22:43):
I am very very excited about this bill. It seems
like a small lift, but I think it has big impact.
This is about asking landlords to give renters. They're supposed
to give them a package of information when they come in,
and we are adding a voter registration in to that package.
The landlord literally doesn't have to do much. Ellen I
(23:05):
is making sure that this information is included, and it's
going to be included in multiple languages, and so when
a renter gets it, they're going to be you know,
going through it and they'll see, hah, here's a keyr
code for me to check when I moved, did I
have to reregister? Am I in the same division? To
make sure that we are redundant in our information about
(23:27):
voting right, we already know there's lack of participation. So
as many times as we can touch someone to say
this is your civic duty, that many died for us
to have this opportunity to exercise our franchise. And that's
really the intent of this is to have multiple ways
to touch someone to be a civic participant in our
(23:48):
life and you know, really participate in our democracy.
Speaker 1 (23:51):
Doctor mad I think it'd be interesting to talk a
bit about your background, because you're not a typical elected official.
You are a scientist and you have had a long
history doing research. And I remember at an event that
you talked about the impact of sexism on your career
(24:12):
in the sciences, and I'm sure that that probably helps
inform your mission to uplift women. But I wonder if
you could share a little bit about your background and
how it does inform why you do what you do.
Speaker 3 (24:24):
Doing science, and particularly I did my PhD in chemistry
from the University of Pennsylvania. Then I did a post
doc at Jefferson. Then I worked at a joint to
appoint me to Jefferson and Wills I Hospital. That entire
space is populated mostly by men, and mostly by white men,
so that awareness of who I am and what I
(24:46):
bring to the table outside of just my technical skills
can really impact how I do my work. And bringing
that awareness to people has been a mission always of
saying who I am, what's important to me, and why
that is more than just me, It is about other
women and encouraging others to come into this space. Science
(25:08):
and technology are at the forefront of progress in the world,
not just here. So the more we have a workplace
that is hospitable to women, hospitable to people who are
maybe first gen getting into science. I actually am working
with the program at penn Pennsylvania about first time students
(25:32):
their first engagement with research. Right, how do we encourage
that because there's some barriers that most people who are
comfortable would not even imagine. So that has been my
mission always to share and eliminate. And now I'm in
a position to do policy, which makes you really excited
that I can take some of that and put it
(25:52):
into real action that can impact a lot more people
than me just meeting one person one at a time.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
Also, your status as someone who was an immigrant coming
into this country certainly has to have an impact. And
I know that in my own case. My mother was
an immigrant and went through many hardships to get here
and got here. And I wonder if you can talk
a little bit about your own personal journey and how
that impacts your worldview of the role of those people
(26:21):
who come to this country for opportunities but right now
are not viewed in a very positive way because of
the current administration. I wonder if you can just reflect
on that a little bit.
Speaker 3 (26:35):
I grew up during a war and left a war
torn country. Talk about being traumatized and how to survive
trauma was because I had a very strong community, my
immediate family and extended family who cocooned us children through
that process. I know what it means to survive and
(26:56):
what are the tools that we need to survive. So,
whether you're coming from a war torn country or you're
just escaping economic hardships or gang warfare or something to
come somewhere else, where it's supposed to be safe. I
have that lens to understand what that person might be
going through, and how do we make sure that they
(27:17):
can see themselves in this new country, how they are
just as important, regardless of their language skills, regardless of
their culture, and how they're fitting in. And that is
something that I keep in mind when I do. For example,
the voter registration information is going to be in multiple languages.
Speaker 1 (27:34):
If people want more information about all these initiatives we
talked about, or want to connect with you in any way,
how do they do that.
Speaker 3 (27:41):
We are in room five seven seven in City Hall,
fifth floor. You are welcome any time to stop by.
You can call our office two one five six eight
six three four five zero two one five six eight
six three four five zero, and you can go to
our and all my socials. Let me just give you
(28:01):
my handouts at CMAHMAD on all my socials so they
can find me there. We try to post as much
of the information we can, and you can email through
our web page that's on council. If you go to
Philadelphia City Council, you can leave a message. We actually
check those messages and we respond to people. So there's
(28:23):
multiple ways to get in touch, and once you get
in touch, we can then give you know. If I
have to spell out my scheduling person's name, it's a
very long name, so it's best to contact us and
we respond to you.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
Fantastic doctor Nina Ahmad, Philadelphia City Council Member at Large,
the first South Asian American Muslim woman and immigrant in
recent history to serve on city council. She is engaged
with many issues that directly impact us, including women's health,
civic engagement, and community connection. Thank you so much for
(28:56):
joining us here today. We appreciate it. You can listen
to all of the day's interviews by going to our
station website and typing in keyword community. You can also
listen on the iHeartRadio app ye Words Philadelphia Community Podcast.
Follow me on Twitter and Instagram at Lorraine Ballard. I'm
Lorraine Ballard MOREL and I stand for service to our
community and media that empowers. What will you stand for?
(29:19):
You've been listening to Insight and thank you
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