Antonio Cornelius Baker Washington, DC, who was the advocate for Civil rights and HIV/AIDS and a native of Syracuse, New York, has sadly passed away. He died on November 10, 2024. His funeral plans and obituary has not been disclosed by his family at the time of this writing. His cause of death was also not disclosed. His death has left so many hearts brazenly injured and devastated.
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Community mourns
Carol Schwartz made the following statements concerning him on her Facebook page, “With the saddest of hearts, I salute my dearest friend of 40 years who I often thought of as my second son, A. Cornelius Baker, for the extraordinary life he led and all the time, effort and love he gave to make the world a better place for all of us. No one had a more brilliant mind or more giving heart. I will think of Corn every day and will thank God for bringing him into my life. Rest in peace, dear, for a job well done. I will love you forever.” Â
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Concerning Antonio Cornelius Baker, Washington, D.C.
New York was the birthplace of Antonio Cornelius Baker. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Eisenhower College at Rochester Institute of Technology after attending Corcoran High School.
From 1989 until 1992, Baker served as the Assistant Secretary for Health’s confidential assistant in the National AIDS Program Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. He served as the Policy Director and Deputy Executive of the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) from 1992 to 2000 before becoming the Executive Director. He was the Executive Director of one of the nation’s leading AIDS service organizations, Whitman-Walker Clinic, located in Washington, D.C.
Additionally, Baker was the Chief Policy Advisory for the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy at the U.S. Department of State. At the moment, Baker was a Special Advisor to the National Institutes of Health’s Office of AIDS Research and PEPFAR Liaison. He was a resident of Washington, D.C. He teaches at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University.
For his efforts, Baker has won multiple awards. He received the Diego Lopez Award from the National Lesbian and Gay Health Association in 1998 for his involvement in HIV/AIDS campaigning. He was also recognized a Rainbow History Project Community Pioneer in 2007 and a DC Community Hero in 2005.
Cornelius Baker was also the Centre for Sexuality & Gender Diversity’s Program Coordinator for Educational Initiatives & Programs. He graduated from Columbia University with a master’s degree in advanced generalist practice and programming in social work. His areas of study include queer culture and studies on the judicial system’s criminalization of trans and queer people. He has his Psychology B.A., The University of Kansas, 2016. He also graduated from the Columbia University’s MSW Advanced Generalist Practice & Programming, New York, 2022.
Summary
He will be deeply missed by all who knew and loved him, especially in the HIV/AIDS and Lesbian world. The funeral arrangements and obituary of Antonio Cornelius Baker will be announced by his family at a date of their choice.
