Dear colleagues, friends, and family:

My name is Tonya Taylor; I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University (https://www.downstate.edu/faculty/infectious-diseases/taylor.html) in Brooklyn, NY. I will be the administrator for this fundraising effort.

This GoFundMe fundraiser is to help my beloved friend and colleague, Michelle Lopez, who is presently being threatened with deportation, despite having a Green Card/Alien ID number. She has lived in the US for 42 years and has two adult children and three grandchildren that were born here.

Michelle is a national and international pioneer in HIV advocacy and research.

The funds requested will help cover the prohibitive cost of her lawyer's fees.

Please help us keep the amazing Michelle Lopez here in NYC so she can continue her amazing work as an advocate for people aging with HIV and as Nana to her three grandchildren.

Below is Michelle's bio:

Michelle is a tireless advocate when it comes to the needs of PLWH (People Living with HIV). Michelle is an out woman of color living her bisexual life and creating change in the public health sector. Michelle has served on boards of directors locally and nationally, creating methods of consumer involvement in decision-making, access to care, and treatment and prevention needs of marginalized populations. Michelle was diagnosed with HIV along with her newborn daughter in 1991. Michelle found community and became a voice for women and children diagnosed with HIV. Michelle was hired in 1992 by the local federally qualified health center that tested her and got her into care two years prior. Michelle worked with local and national entities to ensure the rights of all diagnosed were receiving the best care while living with HIV. Michelle was hired as a third-party provider and ran a successful campaign in NY called HIV Treatment Works for providers and consumers, teaching the benefits of getting and staying on treatments approved for HIV care. Providers got the opportunity to implement the campaign in the services being provided for consumers living with HIV. Due to her work and advocacy, Michelle received an award from The Fund for the City of NY. Michelle then went on to work together with other consumers in NY, creating methods of programs that provided peer trainings and certified programs that would then credential consumers to work in medical and care service programs for PLWH. Michelle is a member of the NCAB for the MACS/WIHS Combined Cohort, which is the largest and longest prospective cohort study on women and men living with HIV in the US.