A new documentary uses candid interviews with basketball legend Magic Johnson, civil rights pioneer Julian Bond, leading doctors, health workers, educators, and social activists to reveal how and why HIV is worse in black America and whether something can be done to bring an end to the epidemic.
With Endgame: AIDS in Black America award-winning filmmaker Renata Simone takes viewers on an unprecedented two-hour exploration of one of the country's most urgent, most preventable health crises. For three years Simone and her crew worked to uncover the the story of how, from the earliest days, prejudice, silence, and stigma allowed the virus to spread deep into the black community.
Simone's camera even follows Johnson to an appointment with his doctor, David Ho. In an intimate interview, Johnson explains how he contracted the virus, what happened when he told his pregnant wife, Cookie, and how he feels about living with the virus. "Well, I'm not cured," he says. "I'm doing what I'm supposed to do. So no there's no cure. I'm living with this virus in my blood system and in my body, and I've got to be careful."
The documentary will air July 10 at 9 p.m. on PBS.
Watch the trailer below.
Watch Endgame: AIDS in Black America on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.