Black AIDS Institute calls for 25 years of healing  | Health News | Advocate.com

Advocate.com health Channel
||  Health News  ||
 
June 06, 2006
Black AIDS Institute calls for 25 years of healing

The Los Angeles–based Black AIDS Institute on Monday released the following statement to mark the 25th anniversary of the world’s first reported AIDS cases:

Today marks the 25th anniversary of America's first AIDS diagnosis. As a nation and a community, we have come a long way in those 25 years of reeling under this virus's onslaught. The tragedy is that we still have far, far to go if we are to bring it under control.

In all sectors, we spent too many of the epidemic's early years caught off guard as HIV wormed its way into our lives. Scientists took years to identify the virus that caused the destruction first reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on June 5, 1981—and 15 years to develop medicine that gave people a chance to continue living. Political leaders were equally slow to react: It was 1987 before President Reagan bothered to address the nation about the carnage his Administration callously decided to ignore, and 1990 before Congress bothered to create a comprehensive system to make care and treatment affordable for the poorest Americans living with AIDS.

As for black America, we are arguably still working to truly mobilize a defense against the virus. For too many years, our community—our leaders, our institutions, and ourselves—chose to act like AIDS didn't matter to us. We did this even as we watched our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and children get sick and die. And we did this because of our fear—fear of the people most immediately impacted, fear of engaging yet another momentous struggle for survival, fear of losing focus on the struggles we were already engaged in.

Our fear killed too many black Americans, and continues to do so today.

African-Americans diagnosed with HIV are now eight times more likely to die from it than our white counterparts. And we are not short on such diagnoses in black America. Nearly half of the estimated 1 million Americans living with HIV are black; more than half of the estimated 40,000 people newly diagnosed with HIV each year are black. Yet, we are 13% of the population.

These simple facts are unacceptable for a disease we know how to both prevent and treat. But unless we take action—as individuals and as a community—the blackening of AIDS will grow more stark with each year.

In a new report (available online at www.blackaids.org) announced at a press conference in New York City on Monday, the Black AIDS Institute urges such action. We call on the community to embrace proven HIV prevention strategies; to save lives by accessing available treatments ourselves and demanding our governments make those treatments truly accessible to all; and to finally discard the debilitating bigotry, stigma, and shame that fuels this epidemic's fire.

In many areas, we are beginning to see such steps taken. The Congressional Black Caucus and brave state legislators around the country have picked up the mantle, driving government to do something about AIDS in black neighborhoods. Many of our civil rights and community leaders have come to see AIDS as a crucial part of their broader work. Our churches and faith leaders are increasingly willing and able to minister not just to their dying church members but to their living communities about sexual health and healing.

As individuals, we must all join this building movement and work to save our own lives as well. The institute's founding motto is that AIDS affects our people, which makes it our problem, and demands we find our own solutions. Let's not wait until it's too late to do so. Let's make the next 25 years into a story about how we rose up and healed our communities—and ourselves. (The Advocate)

Reader Comments

These comments are reproduced as written by visitors to this Web site. They have not been edited for content, grammar, or spelling. The viewpoints appearing here are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion or views of advocate.com, The Advocate, or its affiliates.

Be the first to comment on this story.

Back to top

Submit a comment for this story:

*Type your comment here (Required, 1000 characters max.):

*Name (Required): 

*Hometown (Required): 

*E-mail address: (Required, but will not be displayed)

Is this comment for publication? 
Yes   No

Daytime phone number: (Required for print publication only and will not be displayed)

Please enter the words you see in the box, in order and separated by a space. Doing so helps prevent automated programs from abusing this service.

  

If you would like to submit a comment for posting, please fill out the form above. 

All comments submitted via this form are subject to posting or publication. (To send a private letter to an Advocate editor or writer, please use the e-mail button at the top of the page, or use snail mail.) If you would like your comment considered for publication in The Advocate magazine, please include your full name, your city of residence, and a phone number where you can be reached during business hours so that we can confirm your identity. Your e-mail address and telephone number are strictly confidential and will not be shared or used for any purpose other than to contact you about your comment.

Comments that do not concern specific articles in The Advocate or on Advocate.com will not be posted or published. See the Contact page for sending comments for reasons other than responding to Advocate editorial and news stories.

Please note that comments sent by fax or snail mail are unlikely to be posted, although they will be considered for publication along with all letters received via e-mail or via this Web page. Comments that chiefly concern Advocate.com content will be considered for posting only on the Web site. The Advocate reserves the right to edit submitted comments for grammar, spelling, obscenities, or libel; we will, however, do our best to preserve the original comment's style and intent. Comments considered for publication in The Advocate magazine may also be edited for length.

More Exclusives
  • U.S. Politics From a Distance
    As America continues to rejoice in election of Barack Obama -- while gay Californians lament the passing of Prop. 8 -- overseas, political activists look on from a distance. Zachery Scott has watched the drama following Election Day unfold as he serves in the Peace Corps in Mozambique.
  • Shoshana Bean Is Lookin' for a Superhero
    Not many girls can wow a Broadway crowd in shows like Wicked and Hairspray, then turn around and bring the audience to its feet at the Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards. But Shoshana Bean goes far beyond what most people might expect, as evidenced by her soulful debut album, Superhero.
  • 30 Years Later, We Can Still Learn from Milk
    COMMENTARY: Thirty years after the death of Harvey Milk, Americans can still learn from his inspiring and profound work as an activist, politician and friend. With the story of his life opening in theatres this week, Lane Hudson takes a look back at how Milk's legacy lives on -- and what we can to do pay tribute to the legend.
  • Urban Cowboy
    How does a brand that is over a century old make itself cool again? With a little help from the gays. Levi Strauss & Co. sponsored the world premiere of Milk at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco in October, and The Advocate sat down with the out president of the denim company, Robert Hanson, that afternoon to find out what Levi's and Harvey Milk have in common.
  • L.A. Gay Center Responds to Prop. 8 Criticism
    In the December 16 edition of The Advocate, writer Ben Ehrenreich analyzed the differing opinions of why Prop. 8 passed at the polls in his article, "Anatomy of a Failed Campaign." Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center chief public affairs officer Jim Key responds to the criticisms raised by that article.
  • Billy Baldwin Pleads for Return of Dirty Sexy Money
    Actor William Baldwin is half of one of TV’s most groundbreaking couples -- his Dirty Sexy Money character is in love with a transsexual, played by Candis Cayne -- but it’s one plot that may not get to play itself out, as the show is in danger of cancellation. Baldwin sat down with Advocate.com to talk about rumors that ABC is "de-gaying" its lineup, what the future holds for Money, and whether network heads ever interfered with his controversial story line.
  • The Kid Stays in the Picture
    Lana Turner's lesbian daughter, Cheryl Crane, has penned her second memoir about her late, great movie star mother -- Lana: The Memories, the Myths, the Movies. Crane sits down with The Advocate to relive that fateful night she killed her mother's mobster lover, share some untold stories, and give us a sneak peek at the new photographs of their life together.
  • The Soul of Seal
    Armed with a new album of soul classics and his trademark blunt outlook on the state of the world, Seal sat down with Advocate.com to discuss the rumors that he and wife Heidi Klum would have left the country had John McCain been elected, the gay rights movement, and what makes Seal's sound so damn sexy.
  • Finding the Silver Lining in Defeat
    Three weeks ago, like many LGBT Americans, I woke up with, to say the least, mixed feelings. The euphoria of Barack Obama’s election and the expansion of the pro-LGBT majority in Congress was tempered by sadness and anger at our devastating losses in Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, and, of course, California. The silver lining of these defeats has been a renewed focus nationwide on the issue of marriage equality.
  • Separation of Sundance and State
    In 2009, Sundance will celebrate 25 years of bringing together international cinema and a variety of cultures in Park City, Utah. But with California's gay community reeling from the passage of Prop. 8, activists and filmmakers are suggesting a boycott of the festival and theater chain Cinemark, whose CEO donated a substantial sum to the marriage ban's campaign. But just how realistic is a boycott of an entire state?
  • Democratic Supermajority No Guarantee for Gay Progress
    The 2008 election may already be one for the record books, but triumphant Democrats are still vying for an elusive political prize -- the 60-seat supermajority required to overcome Republican filibuster attempts and advance their legislative agenda swiftly beginning in January. But what are the odds of actually getting 60 seats -- and will it really push gay rights to the front of the line?
  • From the Great White Way to the White House
    While there won’t be a woman in the White House anytime in the near future, 24 took the reins and elected to cast two-time Tony Award winner Cherry Jones as its first female president, Allison Taylor, who is likely to have everything including terrorists, WMDs, and the kitchen sink thrown at her. Jones sat down with The Advocateto talk marriage, the White House, and her "fluid" relationship with partner Sarah Paulson.
  • Handicapping the LGBT Priorities of President-elect Obama
    As the Obama-Biden transition ensues, insights are surfacing into the new administration's agenda for gay Americans. While many of the policy pronouncements read like a list of old favorites, some lesser-known initiatives will likely gain momentum early on.
  • A Fortune 500 Take on Prop. 8
    The old saying goes that every cloud has a silver lining. And on November 5, the day after California voters stripped same-sex couples of the right to marry, so many around the country were searching for one. Although thousands of individuals, organizations, and businesses donated to the Yes on 8 campaign, not one Fortune 500 company is among those names. But on the opposite side, the side of fairness and basic rights, you’ll find some of the nation’s most successful and powerful corporate players.
  • Chevy Volt: The Jolt GM Needs?
    Launching a new vehicle while the American auto industry is asking Congress for a $25 billion bailout might seem like illogical timing, but for General Motors and the people behind Chevy Volt, it’s essential. With their backs against the wall, GM is rolling out their much-anticipated first plug-in electric vehicle -- and focusing their marketing efforts on the gay community.
  • Dr. Phil Weighs in on Prop. 8
    Advocate.com gets an early peek at a very heated episode of Dr. Phil. Gavin Newsom, HRC's Joe Solmonese, and L.A. attorney Gloria Allred face off against Prop. 8 supporters to talk same-sex marriage. In what may well be a first, Dr. Phil told the audience he would be keeping his opinions to himself.
  • An Unpopular Opinion: Blacks, Gays, and Prop. 8
    The injection of race into the analysis of Proposition 8's passage is extremely disappointing. A battle for equal rights has now turned into an issue of whites versus blacks. But while some black gays think marriage shouldn't be a priority and that outreach to African-Americans should have been stronger, journalist Clay Cane says he has a vested interest in inequalities related to both race and sexual orientation ... and he doesn't need someone to hold his hand to believe that marriage equality is important.
  • Politics and Progress With Patti LaBelle
    The last time girl-group Labelle dropped an album, the thought of a black president or same-sex marriage seemed as “far-out” as the band’s disco-spacewoman suits and fusion of disco, rock, and soul. But the button-pushing, soul-singing trio has reunited, and on the heels of Prop. 8 passing and Barack Obama being elected president, Patti LaBelle talks to The Advocate about the mix of emotions she's dealt with over the past few weeks.
  • Seth Meyers's Big Gay Saturday Night
    SNL funnyman Seth Meyers talks to Advocate.com about last week's episode of Saturday Night Live -- the gayest episode in the history of the show, by some accounts. With touches including Justin Timberlake as Beyoncé's backup dancer and Snagglepuss crashing Weekend Update, it caused some bloggers to take offense ... but Meyers says it's just the sort of stuff that stemmed from many discussions about Prop. 8.
  • All Hands, Black and White, On Deck
    The high number of African-Americans who voted to pass Proposition 8 may have surprised some people, but not the folks at the National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights organization dedicated to empowering black LGBT Americans. NBJC's CEO offers some insights about the black-white divide and how to mend it going forward.