December 1, 2024
Tireless HIV/AIDS Advocate A. Cornelius Baker Dies Of Heart Disease At 63
Baker was an early advocate for those living with HIV and AIDS during the 1980s when misinformation and fear-mongering about the disease was rampant.
A. Cornelius Baker, a tireless advocate for HIV and AIDS testing, research, and vaccinations died in his Washington, D.C., home on Nov. 8 of hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, according to his partner, Gregory Nevins.
As The New York Times reports, Baker was an early advocate for those living with HIV and AIDS during the 1980s when misinformation and fear-mongering about the disease was rampant.
According to Douglas M. Brooks, a director of the Office of National AIDS Policy under President Obama, it was Baker’s Christian faith that guided him towards compassion for others.
“He was very kind, very embracing and inclusive — his circles, both professionally and personal, were the most diverse I’ve ever seen, which was driven by his Christian values,” Brooks told the outlet. “His ferocity appeared when people were marginalized, othered or forgotten.”
In 1995, when he was the executive director of the National Association of People with AIDS, Baker pushed to establish June 27 as National HIV Testing Day.
He later wrote in 2012 on the website FHI 360, a global health advisor for which he served as a technical advisor, that, “This effort was designed to help reduce the stigma of H.I.V. testing and to normalize it as a component of regular health screening.”
Baker was also concerned that men like himself, Black gay men, and other men from marginalized communities were disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS.
Baker pushed the Clinton Administration to include Black and Latinx participants in clinical trials for drugs, and pointedly told the New York Times in 1994 that he was tired of hearing promises but seeing no action.
According to Lambda Legal CEO Kevin Jennings, it is this courageous stance that defines Baker’s legacy in the field of HIV/AIDS advocacy.
“Cornelius was a legendary leader in the fight for equality for LGBTQ+ people and everyone living with HIV,” Jennings said in a press release. “In the more than two decades that I knew him, I was continually impressed by not only how effective a leader he was but also how he managed to balance being both fierce and kind at the same time. His is a devastating loss.”
Jennings continued, “Cornelius’s leadership cannot be overstated. For decades, he was one of the country’s leading HIV/AIDS warriors, advocating locally, nationally, and internationally. No matter where he went, he took pride in supporting the HIV/AIDS community, beginning in the ‘80s and continuing until his passing, through a variety of roles, including with the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Association of People With AIDS, and the Whitman-Walker Clinic.” Jennings explained.
Jennings concluded, “His career also included several honors, including being the first recipient of the American Foundation for AIDS Research’s Award of Courage for Organization Building. Our communities have lost a pillar in Cornelius, and while we mourn his passing, we will forever be grateful for his decades of service to the community.”
Kaye Hayes, the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Infectious Disease and Director of the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy, called Baker “a north star” in her commentary regarding his legacy.
“It is hard to overstate the impact of his loss to the public health and HIV/AIDS communities or the place he held in my heart, personally,” Hayes told Hiv.gov. “He pressed us, he charged us, he pulled us, he pushed us. With unwavering devotion to the HIV movement, he represented a north star, building coalitions across all sectors and working with leaders across the political spectrum to address health disparities and advocate for access to HIV treatment and care for all. He would say, ‘The work is not done, the charge is still there, go forth—you know what you need to do.’ I keep that in my ear and in my heart around this work.”
Hayes added, “His passing is a significant loss for the public health community and for so many more who benefited from Cornelius’ vigilance. His legacy will continue to inspire and motivate us all.”
Baker is survived by his mother, Shirley Baker; his partner, Nevins, who is also the senior legal counsel for Lambda Legal; his sisters Chandrika Baker, Nadine Wallace, and Yavodka Bishop; as well as his two brothers, Kareem and Roosevelt Dowdell; in addition to the larger HIV/AIDS advocacy community.
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