A. Cornelius Baker to Speak at Bon Foster Memorial Lecture and Luncheon

(CHICAGO, October 4, 2000) — National authority on HIV and AIDS policy A. Cornelius Baker’s upcoming Bon Foster Memorial Civil Rights Lecture on Friday, October 20 comes at a crucial time for discrimination protections in the United States, said Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund Wednesday.

On Friday, October 20, Baker will address a packed crowd at the Palmer House Hilton, examining the difficult challenges of fighting AIDS and AIDS-related discrimination and how that discrimination affects the lesbian and gay community.

Baker is the executive director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C. Whitman-Walker is a non-profit lesbian and gay community health organization and is the primary AIDS service organization in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Whitman-Walker runs a Legal Service Program, which works with a broad group of civil rights and legal services organizations, including Lambda, on shaping HIV/AIDS policy. It is the only comprehensive provider of legal services to people with HIV/AIDS in the Washington, D.C. area.

“The Supreme Court already has cases on its docket that may determine the scope of the ten-year-old Americans with Disabilities Act. The results will be crucial for people who face HIV/AIDS-related discrimination. With the elections just around the corner and the next President likely to appoint as many three U.S. Supreme Court justices, Baker’s speech could not be more timely,” said Matthew Roberts, regional director for Lambda’s Midwest Regional Office in Chicago.

United Airlines is providing national sponsorship along with Jenner & Block, Northern Trust Bank, and Skadden, Arps, Meagher & Flom each making $5,000 contributions to the event, which is supported by dozens of individual and corporate supporters’ donations.

The lecture is named in honor of Bon Foster, a Chicago attorney who died of AIDS in 1991, and whose generosity aided the creation of Lambda’s Midwest Regional Office. He is remembered as a forthright and intelligent advocate and an outspoken opponent of intolerance.

Media is asked to RSVP by October 15. Sponsorship begins at $500, tickets begin at $100. For further information contact Alissa Rowan at 312-663-4413. WHAT: HIV/AIDS expert A. Cornelius Baker delivers the keynote address at the Bon Foster Memorial Civil Rights Lecture and Luncheon benefitting Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund WHO: Hundreds of attorneys, community leaders, and supporters of Lambda’s civil rights work on behalf of lesbians, gay men, and people with HIV/AIDS WHEN: Friday, October 20, 2000; VIP reception begins at 11:00 a.m., luncheon and lecture begin at 12 noon WHERE: The Palmer House Hilton, 17 East Monroe Street, Chicago TICKETS: Tickets begin at $100. Reservations may be made by calling the Lambda office at 312-663-4413; tickets may be charged over the phone quote>

Contact: Matthew W. Roberts 312-663-4413 x31
Alissa Rowan 312-663-4413 x 29