I have good news for you today! On February 7, I wrote about an 80 year-old doctor and AIDS activist being held on house arrest in China. Dr. Gao Yaojie has worked hard to educate her people about the danger and spreading of AIDS through tainted blood from local blood banks. Dr. Gao uses her own money (what little she has) to fund her work.
Unfortunately, the Chinese government was not happy about Dr. Gao speaking out about this problem and had her detained under house arrest.
As a result of her tireless efforts, Dr. Gao has been chosen to receive a leadership award from a group called Vital Voices, which promotes female leadership and is supported by Senator Hillary Clinton.
It appeared that Dr. Gao was not going to be able to attend this award ceremony because of her house arrest. I'm happy to report that this has changed. Through the efforts of many of you who rallied to support Dr. Gao, who wrote to Senator Clinton to protest this abuse of human rights, the Chinese government has now agreed to let Dr. Gao come to the United States to receive her award. I hope that this is the end of her incarceration and the government's efforts to stop her important work.
This is proof to me that together we do make a difference. When we as individuals take action and speak out against injustice and then spread the word and enlist the support of others, we become a powerful force for change.
Thank you to all of you who took the time to write Senator Clinton or your congressional representative. I commend you and I applaud you.
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