A. Cornelius Baker was a public health policy expert who advocated for extensive HIV/AIDS testing and care, even in the early days of the disease.
- Died: November 8, 2024 (Who else died on November 8?)
- Details of death: Died in Washington, D.C. of hypertensive atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease at the age of 63.
- We invite you to share condolences for A. Cornelius Baker in our Guest Book.
A. Cornelius Baker’s legacy
In the early days of AIDS and HIV, when many were dominated by fear of the then-unknown disease, Baker took the opposite approach, instead becoming a vocal advocate for testing and treatment that would destigmatize the illness.
After studying at Eisenhower College, the New York-born Baker worked for the Washington City Paper as the alternative weekly’s arts editor. It was there, in Washington, D.C., that he connected with local LGBTQ organizations, a connection that would change the trajectory of his life. Baker soon worked for D.C. City Council member Carol Schwartz, got involved in public policy, and by 1989 was with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, helping guide federal-level AIDS programs.
In 1992, Baker was named policy director, and later executive director, of the National Association of People with AIDS. There, he helped spearhead the effort to make June 27 National HIV Testing Day. When President Bill Clinton took office in 1994, Baker pushed his administration to ensure that Black and Latino people were included in clinical trials for drugs designed to manage and treat HIV/AIDS.
Baker himself was a gay man who had contracted HIV in the early years of the outbreak. He took his own experience and used it in his advocacy with a wide variety of organizations, including the Whitman-Walker Clinic, where he was executive director. He also served on the boards of the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. He served as an advisor for the National Black Gay Men’s Advocacy Coalition and was involved with the Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy and the National Institutes of Health’s Office of AIDS Research. Baker also participated in the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS.
His work did not slow down in his later years. When he passed, Baker was board chair of Us Helping Us, People Into Living, Inc.
Notable quote
“It’s important to meet one’s obligations, to your family and your society. I do what I can. Sometimes I do it well, sometimes I don’t. But it’s really important to make the effort.” — interview with Edge, 2010
Tributes to A. Cornelius Baker
Full obituary: The New York Times
