Academy for Educational Development
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NEW VOICES FELLOW LEADS EFFORT TO HELP PEOPLE WITH HIV/AIDS Fellowship Serves as Training Ground for Washington, D.C., April 27, 2005 — Gregory Braxton was diagnosed with AIDS in 1994, after years of substance abuse. A resident of Chicago House, which provides housing and supportive services to HIV-affected families and individuals, Braxton has completely turned his life around. He has stayed sober for the last three years and completed his Bachelors Degree. Now he is using his personal experiences to help other Chicagoans living with HIV/AIDS escape the cycle of poverty. As a New Voices Fellow, Braxton will pioneer a new HIV Employment Services System that combats stigma and discrimination among potential employers and enables more people living with HIV/AIDS to reenter the workforce. Braxton is one of 15 New Voices fellows who will take on leadership roles at small nonprofits across the country this summer. The Academy for Educational Development's New Voices National Fellowship Program, aims to develop a cadre of diverse and progressive leaders dedicated to advancing social, economic and political justice in America and throughout the world. "We are training the next generation of social justice leaders who, with their diverse backgrounds and dedication, will help nonprofits solve some of the most complex social problems we face today," said AED President Stephen F. Moseley. In 2005, New Voices will enable 15 small nonprofit organizations to bring in fellows with fresh perspectives and new ideas in exchange for a commitment to mentor the fellows and give them a voice in the organization. Heidi Corce is a middle school teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing, who is herself deaf. She has also worked in deaf schools in Kenya and Jamaica, experiences which have led her toward a new career path: to eliminate oppression and neglect of deaf communities in developing countries. Through the Global Deaf Connection in Minneapolis, Minn., Corce will build a coalition among deaf communities in developing countries to advocate for the employment and educational rights of deaf persons. New Voices Fellows will work in six sponsored fields including: racial justice, international human rights, women's rights, HIV/AIDS, reproductive rights, and migrant and refugee rights. The program is made possible through funding from the Ford Foundation. Previous New Voices Fellows’ accomplishments include managing a $400,000 grant to redevelop 800 acres of contaminated land in the Bronx for use by communities of color and securing a decree from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights protecting the rights of some 500 psychiatric patients in Paraguay. AED received 390 applications for the 2005 awards, the most competitive year to date. The 15 awardees were selected by a panel of 12 national experts in social and economic justice. There are currently 30 New Voices Fellows and 75 alumni. “The commitment of New Voices Fellows is often driven by personal stories of struggle,” said Moseley. This year’s selected organizations and fellows include:
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