From the official press release:

The Latino Commission on AIDS mourns the passing of its founder, Dennis de Leon, a tireless advocate for social justice and one of the first openly HIV-positive Latino leaders in the country. He was a pioneer and a visionary, and in his lifetime he sought to curb and eliminate health disparities among marginalized communities. As a lawyer and later a non-profit executive, deLeon believed in bridging cultural differences to effect progressive social change.

For 15 years, de Leon was the President of the Latino Commission on AIDS, a national service and advocacy organization addressing HIV/AIDS and health disparities in the Latino community nationwide.

deLeon, 61, was one of the first city officials to announce that he was infected with the virus that causes AIDS. The cause of death was heart failure.

VIGIL/VIEWING

WHEN
Wednesday, December 16th
4:00pm – 9:00pm

WHERE
Redden’s Funeral Home
325 West 14th Street
(between 8th and 9th)
New York, NY 10011
Map Link

FUNERAL

WHEN
Thursday, December 17th
10:00am

WHERE
Parish of St. Joseph
371 Avenue of the Americas
(between Washington and Waverly Place)
New York, NY 10011
Map Link

(*) Post the Funeral there will be a gathering to celebrate the life of Dennis de Leon at a near by Parish – details to follow.