
In preparation for National HIV Testing Day, African-American celebrities will take part in the second annual "Test 1 Million" HIV/AIDS awareness campaign on Friday, June 27, in Los Angeles. Celebrity participants will hold a press conference about the free HIV screening available and will themselves be tested for HIV. The event takes place 8:30 a.m. to noon at the offices of the Los Angeles Sentinel newspaper at 3800 Crenshaw Blvd.
"Test 1 Million" is a call to action for 1 million black Americans to get screened for HIV by December 1 (World AIDS Day).
AIDS is the leading cause of death for black women ages 25-34, and it is estimated that up to 46% of black gay men may already be infected with HIV. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 260,000 people in the U.S. infected with HIV who don't know their serostatus.
Celebrities include Eric "Lil E" Wright (son of gangsta rapper Eazy E, who died of AIDS complications), Jimmy Jean-Louis (Heroes), Tasha Smith (Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married), Coolio, Harold Perrineau (Lost), Al Reynolds, Darius McCrary (Family Matters), Erica Hubbard (Lincoln Heights), Oren Williams (Lincoln Heights), Zachary Williams (Roswell, The Parkers), Nicole Lyons (the first female to race professionally in the NHRA Pro Stock and NASCAR Busch Series), recording artist Bobby Tinsley, Brian White (The Family Stone, Stomp the Yard, and The Game Plan), NBA veteran Doug Christie and his wife Jackie, Terrell Tilford (The Guiding Light), Victoria Platt-Tilford, and singer Jody Watley.
Testing sites in other communities can be located by logging on to www.blackaids.org. (The Advocate)
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