On World AIDS Day, Congresswoman Waters Honors Rev. Elder Leslie Burke for her 40 Years of Service at the Minority AIDS Project

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee and a congressional leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS, issued the following statement in recognition of World AIDS Day, which is celebrated every year on December 1: 

“On World AIDS Day today, I am proud to honor Rev. Elder Leslie Burke, a pioneering HIV/AIDS advocate who has served the Los Angeles AIDS community through her work with the Minority AIDS Project, since its founding 40 years ago. 

“I am especially proud to honor Rev. Burke for her work with the Minority AIDS Project because I began my journey as an advocate for people living with AIDS as a result of the work of Archbishop Carl Bean, the founder of the Minority AIDS Project, and I am proud to have supported the project’s work since its founding. Archbishop Bean took me to a place called ‘Catch One’ in Los Angeles, which was owned by Jewel Thais Williams. He introduced me to several young African American men living with AIDS who had been abandoned by their parents due to their diagnoses. I discussed what I witnessed with the Black Womens Forum, and Danny Bakewell at the Brotherhood Crusade. Danny and I decided to contribute $10,000 each to fund the new Minority AIDS Project. 

“As a Member of the U.S. Congress, I spearheaded the establishment of the Minority AIDS Initiative, which has significantly expanded HIV/AIDS prevention, screening, and treatment efforts among racial and ethnic minorities and reduced AIDS disparities. I am proud to report that funding for this critical initiative has increased from the initial appropriation of $156 million in Fiscal Year 1999 to more than $400 million per year today. 

“Unfortunately, our progress towards ending the AIDS pandemic is in grave danger as a result of the policies of Donald Trump. Unlike previous presidents of both parties, Trump refused to commemorate World AIDS Day this year, and his budget proposal slashed $2 billion from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which supports HIV prevention and treatment in developing countries and is credited with having saved 26 million lives since its creation in 2003. Trump’s budget proposal also eliminated HIV prevention funding at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and slashed funds for Ryan White AIDS care and HIV research! We cannot allow these devastating cuts to be implemented.

“We must fully fund domestic and international HIV/AIDS programs and stop the spread of this devastating pandemic. That is why I introduced two new HIV prevention bills in the House of Representatives this year. The HIV Prevention Now Act (H.R. 5126) will provide more than $2 billion in Fiscal Year 2026 for HIV, viral hepatitis, STD, and tuberculosis prevention, and The PrEP and PEP are Prevention Act (H.R. 5127) will require health insurance plans to cover PrEP and PEP as preventive services, without out-of-pocket costs, so they are free for people who need them.

“On World AIDS Day 2025, we must rededicate ourselves to stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS, caring for those who are infected, and searching for a cure. We must never give up until we put an end to the HIV/AIDS pandemic once and for all.”

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