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Aubri Esters

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Aubri Esters
Born(1985-05-11)May 11, 1985[1]
Beverly, Massachusetts, US
DiedJune 4, 2020(2020-06-04) (aged 35)
Boston, Massachusetts, US
Cause of deathDrug overdose
EducationMassachusetts College of Art and Design
Years active2006–2020
OrganizationSIFMA Now!
MovementHarm reduction

Aubri Esters (May 11, 1985 – June 4, 2020) was an American activist for the rights of drug users.

Early life

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Esters was born in Beverly, Massachusetts, to mental health counselor Laura Pelkus-Esters and clinical psychologist Joshua Peter Esters.[1]

In her late teens, Esters transitioned and legally changed her name to Aubri. Coming out as a transgender woman caused Esters to lose close relationships, but drove her passion for activism.[2] Esters' sister, Cheraya, who is also queer, credits Esters with giving her the safety and strength to come out.[2]

Esters lived with fibromyalgia and a heart condition. She used a walker.[1][2]

Esters was a drummer. She studied interrelated media at MassArt.[3][1]

When she was 18, Esters began using drugs.[2][4] After a couple of years, Esters was spending up to $300 daily on her drug use and suffered from abscesses.[2][5] Esters experienced homelessness and said she benefited from services available at Long Island.[6] For over a decade, Esters used methadone to treat chaotic opioid use.[3]

Activism

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Esters spoke about herself as a "person who happens to use drugs."[2] She taught medical practitioners and politicians about the challenges of life on the streets and the discrimination and abuse she and other people who use drugs faced. Esters always carried Narcan and saved many people's lives from drug overdose.[1] Esters lost friends to fatal overdose, many of which she witnessed. She urged the state to recognize thousands of lives "wasted" due to preventable overdose.[1]

After learning about the use of fentanyl test strips in Canada, she helped bring them to harm reduction organizations in Boston.[7]

In 2016, Esters was on the winning team of a hackathon seeking methods to prevent drug addiction and deaths. Esters' team presented the idea of a mobile van that would visit neighborhoods known for drug-use in Boston.[8][9] Staff would distribute sterile needles and provide counseling and two-days worth of Suboxone.[3]

Before she died, Esters was planning to work with Miriam Harris, an addiction medicine fellow at Boston Medical Center, on a study that would determine how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted people who use drugs.[1]

Esters was an organizer with the Boston Homeless Solidarity Committee (BHSC).[6]

Esters advocated for people who use drugs in policy conversations with local government officials. She cofounded SIF MA, a group that promoted safe consumption sites.[10] In 2018, she was a representative on the Massachusetts Harm Reduction Commission, where she urged the state to launch a pilot for supervised injection sites. The pilot gained support from the Massachusetts Medical Society.[3][11][12][13][14]

In 2019, at a Harm Reduction Commission meeting, Esters interrupted Boston mayor Marty Walsh and said "I'm sorry, this is personal, my people are dying!"[2]

In 2019, Esters spoke to the Massachusetts Legislature about safe injection sites.[15]

Death

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On June 4, 2020, Esters was found dead, after her mother could not get ahold of her and requested a wellness check be carried out by law enforcement at Esters' apartment in Mass and Cass, near BMC.[1] Esters died days after returning from spending three months with her mother in Florida.[2] Months prior to her death, Esters said isolation in the COVID-19 pandemic was killing people who use drugs.[2] Jess Tilley, executive director of New England Users Union, said of Esters, "We've lost one of our strongest champions in her prime."[3] Boston mayor Marty Walsh publicly shared sadness over Esters' death, and credited Esters with changing his perspective on policies regarding substance use.[3]

Posthumous dedications

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On June 18, 2020, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley introduced a congressional record statement remembering and honoring the life of Aubri Esters.[16][17] "Aubri's Law", a bill that would permit the creation of supervised injection facilities in Massachusetts, was named for Esters.[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Marquard, Bryan. "Aubri Esters, an advocate for safe drug use on the streets, dies at 35 - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Movement For Safe Injection Sites Loses Leading Advocate". WGBH. June 18, 2020. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f "Boston Activist Aubri Esters, Who Championed Safer Drug Use, Dies At 35". WBUR-FM. June 16, 2020. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  4. ^ "Commission to recommend safe injection sites for Massachusetts". WFXT. February 27, 2019. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  5. ^ SIFMA NOW Coalition Panel Discussion: Why we NEED SIFs in Massachusetts, December 29, 2016, archived from the original on February 19, 2023, retrieved February 19, 2023
  6. ^ a b Scoppettuolo, Gerry (September 1, 2016). "Boston homeless fight back". Workers World. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  7. ^ "Testing drugs could be key to preventing overdoses". Boston 25 News. March 10, 2020. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  8. ^ "Hacking A Solution To Boston's Opioid Crisis". www.wbur.org. September 12, 2016. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  9. ^ "In Boston, Opioid Hack-Athon Generates Novel Ideas To Fight Crisis". WUWM 89.7 FM - Milwaukee's NPR. September 26, 2016. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  10. ^ "Boston's harm reduction community mourns death of advocate Aubri Esters". boston.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  11. ^ "Harm Reduction Commission Members | Mass.gov". www.mass.gov. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  12. ^ "'Safe' injection sites rejected for Methadone Mile". Boston Herald. June 20, 2017. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  13. ^ Schoenberg, Shira (March 7, 2018). "Advocates push safe injection sites to address opioid epidemic". masslive. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  14. ^ competenow (March 4, 2019). "State commission recommends piloting supervised injection sites for illicit drug users". Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  15. ^ Service, BU News (November 26, 2019). "Two bills related to safe injection sites to exit committee by mid-February". Boston University News Service. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  16. ^ admin (June 18, 2020). "Rep. Pressley Introduces Congressional Record Statement Honoring Aubri Esters". Ayanna Pressley. Retrieved February 19, 2023.[permanent dead link‍]
  17. ^ Pressley, Ayanna. "Honoring Aubri Esters Hon. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts in the House of Representatives Thursday, June 18, 2020" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
  18. ^ "MA Coalition for Supervised Consumption Sites Urges Action on Aubri's Law" (PDF). Fenway Health. 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2023.

Further reading

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