Sojourner's Place is pleased to be a participant in the 2009 National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Initiated in 2001, this is an annual community mobilization HIV testing and treatment initiative. I encourage all Sojourners to visit the NBHAAD site to learn how you too can get involved in today's events and possibly help save a life.
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is directed, planned and organized by a working group of national organizations in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The goal of this partnership is to to mobilize communities and address specific issues in regards to local epidemics and best practices that are science-based and will influence the course of HIV in Black communities across our country.
HIV and AIDS remains a subject that many African Americans don't want to think about, let alone talk about. But, not thinking or talking about it has not stopped the spread of this deadly disease and virus in our community. There has been some criticism that HIV/AIDS is being dubbed to be "a Black disease" and therefore we should be suspect of the statistics presented to us. But, I suspect that anyone who knows about anything about these 6 letters up close and personal would probably ask the question "and what's your point?" As they know - that regardless of the color of your skin, for HIV and AIDS there is no known cure. The facts speak for themselves. They cannot be argued against. And the facts are:
Black Americans have:
- More illness. Even though blacks (including African Americans) account for about 13% of the United States population, we account for about half (49%) of the people who contract HIV and are diagnosed with AIDS.
- Shorter survival times. Blacks with AIDS often don’t live as long as people of other races and ethnic groups with AIDS. This is due to the barriers mentioned above.
- More deaths. For Black Americans, HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death.
And the segment of Black Americans at the highest risk for contracting HIV are those:
- who are unaware of their partner's risk factors and/or HIV status
- with other STDs (which affect more Blacks than any other racial or ethnic group)
- who live in poverty (which is about one quarter [25%] of all Blacks)
and now old SjP ain't got nothin' more to say...
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at Saturday, February 07, 2009
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calling all sojourners,
when goose grease ain't enough
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