Dennis Levy
| Dennis Levy | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Dennis Wayne Levy December 26, 1948 Wyoming, Ohio |
| Nationality | African American |
| Occupation | Founder, Chief Executive Officer |
| Years active | 15 |
| Spouse(s) | 1 |
| Children | 2 |
Dennis Levy (born December 26, 1948) is an African-American community organizer and public health activist living with HIV/AIDS. He is also a long-term nonprogressor diagnosed in 1992. Levy is the CEO and founder of Black and Latino AIDS Coalition, Inc (Blac) Blac NY is a community-based AIDS advocacy organization. It advocates on behalf of Black and Latino people with AIDS and their families and works for prevention of HIV and AIDS. In 1998, Levy helped pass HIV Reporting and Partner Notification. It was the most controversial HIV legislation in New York State history . The legislation changed the way New York State tracked new HIV and AIDS cases i.e. Partner Notification. Prior to the legislation, the federal government's Ryan White Program allocated money based on the proportion of patients with AIDS in each region. The highest number of AIDS cases was in New York City among white gay men. Consequently, the white gay population received the most money. The new legislation changed this allocation to give more funding to people who were newly diagnosed with HIV infection. A majority of people with HIV diagnoses were black and Latino heterosexuals. Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn sponsored a Bill that required people infected with HIV to notify their sexual partners. The 'Black and Latino AIDS Coalition' was the only AIDS organization in New York State to support Assemblywoman Mayersohn's bill. Levy engaged in heated debates raging in the HIV community concerning the need for establishing a system of tracking HIV infection.
Dennis Levy, Rick Levy, and his brother Harry Levy founded the Black and Latino AIDS Coalition, Inc (Blac NY) It was one of the nation's first AIDS organization for heterosexual black and Latino people living with AIDS. Blac NY was modeled after the national direct action advocacy group ACT UP and received financial assistance and technical help from 'Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC). Under Levy's leadership, Blac NY educated thousands of black and Latino heterosexuals about AIDS. He helped turn public attention to the crisis by writing about 'AIDS IN THE HOOD'. Levy challenged the mainstream AIDS establishment on the hot button issue of 'mandatory reporting' and 'partner notification'.
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