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

(CHICAGO, October 17, 2000) — With a national authority on HIV and AIDS policy as keynote speaker at its Bon Foster Memorial Civil Rights Lecture, Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund will focus attention on the state of AIDS prevention and discrimination protections at a critical time in public policy debate.

On Friday, October 20, A. Cornelius Baker, executive director of the Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C., will deliver Lambda’s Bon Foster Memorial Civil Rights Lecture to a packed crowd at the Palmer House Hilton in downtown Chicago.

Whitman-Walker, a non-profit lesbian and gay community health organization, is the primary AIDS service organization in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, with a Legal Service Program that works with an array of civil rights and legal services organizations, including Lambda, to shape HIV/AIDS policy.

Honorary Chairman of the Bon Foster lecture, United States Representative Luis Gutierrez, also will attend Friday’s event.

In Congress, including within the Hispanic Congressional Caucus, Rep. Gutierrez has been a tireless advocate for health programs protecting people with HIV and AIDS and for civil rights measures on behalf of lesbians and gay men. As a member of the Chicago City Council, he helped push through the law to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation.

Matthew W. Roberts, Regional Director for Lambda’s Midwest Regional Office said, “This is a crucial time in the struggle to protect the health and civil rights of our community. Lambda is honored that Cornelius Baker will share the wisdom he has gained from many years of experience in the fight against AIDS discrimination. The support of a heroic advocate like Congressman Guttierez further highlights the significance of this annual gathering.”

Lambda’s annual civil rights 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.

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, 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

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Contact: Matthew W. Roberts 312-663-4413 x 31
Alissa Rowan 312-663-4413 x 29