Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day set for May 19

The first National Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is set for Thursday, May 19. The day will be marked by a flagship event held at 5 P.M. at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, led by the city's Asian and Pacific Islander Wellness Center. Similar events will be held in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., and Honolulu. In Chicago, a free reception will be held from 6 P.M.-8 P.M. at the Jane Addams Hull House Center for Arts and Culture, 1136 W. Wilson Ave. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, AIDS diagnoses climbed among Asians and Pacific Islanders by 54% between 2000 and 2003. More than 70% of all HIV infections among Asians and Pacific Islanders are reported in gay or bisexual men. The national awareness day is being organized as part of the Banyan Tree Project, a national campaign aimed at raising AIDS awareness in Asian and Pacific Islander communities. For more information on the day's events go online to www.banyantreeproject.org or call (866) 5-BANYAN.