By: Bishop John Selders | Posted: February 7, 2009 at 11:45 AM

http://www.theroot.com/views/more-infection

 

(brief excerpted comments - click the link above to read this excellent piece and several others offered at the www.theroot.com on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2009)

 

Jamal, a gay black man, was diagnosed 10 years ago with HIV. He can’t hold a job, battles drug addiction and suffers from serious depression. He has no car, and public transportation isn’t an option without help. Years of poor health, mental illness, lack of family support and the daily grind of coping with the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS has made his life nearly unbearable. The housing project ministry I run, in collaboration with Hartford and the state of Connecticut, helps him survive. Through this partnership, he receives decent affordable housing, social support services, transportation assistance, subsidized medication along with his disability check and professional support for maintaining a complex prescription plan. In response to the economic downturn, however, the state is currently proposing cuts up to 40 percent for HIV/AIDS. The result will be dire for Jamal.

 

Jamal’s story is just one of many I deal with every day. As a pastor in an urban setting, HIV/AIDS cases don’t come to me as abstract statistics nor as the stereotypes our culture likes to conjure up—the homeless black girl, the gay Latino man on the down low, the strung-out drug addict.

 

I refuse to be silent. On this National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, I ask that you refuse to be silent as well…

(visit this link for the complete article http://www.theroot.com/views/more-infection)

 

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Bishop John Selders is an ordained minister serving the United Church of Christ, the organizing pastor of Amistad United Church of Christ, Hartford, CT; and Lead Principal for the Human Connection Project. He is a teacher, lecturer, workshop leader, an HIV/AIDS educator and activist.

Dear Beloved Community,

Please lift up prayers for education and change on the occasion of this year’s National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2009.

I have included information on the campaign and how to learn more below.

Faithfully,

Joshua L. Love

Director

Metropolitan Community Churches Global HIV/AIDS Ministry

and

Metropolitan Community Churches Drug and Addiction Ministry

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2009

Date: February 7, 2009

Website: http://www.blackaidsday.org/

The mission of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) is to build the capacity and increase awareness, participation and support for HIV prevention, care and treatment among Black Americans. February 7, 2009 marks the ninth year of this annual event.

The primary goal of NBHAAD is to motivate African Americans to get tested and know their HIV status; get educated about the transmission modes of HIV/AIDS; get involved in their local community; and get treated if they are currently living with HIV or are newly diagnosed.

NBHAAD dates back to 1999, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded five national non-profit organizations known then as the Community Capacity Building Coalition (CCBC). On February 23, 2001, the CCBC organized the first annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The date was changed to February 7 the following year (2002) and is now recognized on February 7th of each year.

Today, there are eight organizations that work in partnership with the CDC to ensure the success of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day: Alliances for Quality Education; Balm in Gilead; Healthy Black Communities, Inc.; Jackson State University - Mississippi Urban Research Center; My Brother’s Keeper, Inc.; National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors; National Black Alcoholism & Addictions Council; and National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS.

It is hoped that NBHAAD will continue to build the capacity of community based organizations (CBOs) as well as community stake holders to increase awareness, prevent HIV and get those who need treatment into care.

Currently, NBHAAD is directed, planned and organized by a group known as the Strategic Leadership Council who partner with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 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 the country.

Initially, the founding body held quarterly meetings to discuss activities, trainings, and/or events that each organization was doing around the country. The concept was to have a day to recognize the devastation of HIV/AIDS and to promote testing, education and involvement within African-American communities.

Now, the Strategic Leadership Council is responsible for strategically directing and overseeing NBHAAD which assists in coordinating the overall planning of what will occur leading up to February 7. This groups meet via monthly conference calls.

The expected outcomes as NBHAAD are to:

1. Increase reporting of accurate up-to-date statistics on the HIV and AIDS epidemic among Blacks by electronic and print media, radio and television stations;
2. Increase collaboration and sharing of resources at the national and local levels;
3. Increase resources and support including capacity building assistance for health departments, community based organizations and stakeholders serving Black communities; and
4. Increase the number of Blacks at high risk for acquiring HIV that receive HIV counseling, testing and other HIV prevention, treatment and care services.

As Black Americans continue to be impacted by this disease, the individuals who make up the planning bodies of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day will continue to work daily in local communities to use the best programs and interventions to prevent new infections as well as ensure that those living with the disease have access to available care and treatment services.