Housing Works Rally Outside Bloomberg's Campaign HQ

By Sr. Correspondent, Antoine Craigwell

(New York, NY) -A sporadic shout from one person, then a few more joined in and became a chant in unison, "Hey Bloomberg, AIDS needs a Mayor" marking the beginning of the Housing Works rally and protest on Oct 20 in front of 111 West 40th Street.

Terri Smith-Caronia, VP, Housing Works with anti-Bloomberg poster

Along one side of West 40th Street, in front of the building housing the re-election campaign headquarters of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a hastily constructed cordon of police barricades formed a makeshift pen for the numbers of expected protesters, which never quite materialized. As the motley group of people assembled, at about 12:45pm, 15 minutes after the scheduled start, Kristin Goodwin, director of New York Policy and Organizing, Housing Works stepped up to the podium and began to speak.

The rally, according to Housing Works, a non-profit organization committed to the twin causes of HIV/AIDS and homelessness, was intended to draw attention to Bloomberg's run for a third term as Mayor, as illegal and against term limits law which he said he would abide and reneged on; that eight years as Mayor was enough; that the Mayor had refused to participate in a survey on HIV/AIDS in the city; and that he had refused to speak with an HIV/AIDS community group, People Living With HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). In a press release, Housing Works said that along with the rally, they were protesting the Mayor's failed AIDS policies.

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Resolution grants change in GMHC Board, CAB Chair takes seat

By Sr. Correspondent, Antoine Craigwell

(New York, NY) -In a stunning volte face, Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC) Board of Directors appointed Manuel Rivera, chair of the Consumer's Advisory Board (CAB) as a client representative to the Board.

On Sept 24, after more than three years of petitions, letters, and threats of protests from the CAB, the Board of Directors finally realized that for GMHC to continue receiving Ryan White funding, they had to abide by a resolution passed by the NYC Ryan White Planning Council and to honor the 1983 Denver Principles to have a representative from its client body on the Board.

Rivera is the first HIV-positive client to sit on the Board and represents GHMC's 15,000 clients: men, women and transgender; gay or straight; open or private about their HIV status. As of writing, Rivera's name is not listed as a Board member on GMHC's Website, even though Project Runway host Tim Gunn, appointed to the Board at the same time as Rivera, is listed.

 

Manuel Rivera In a press release issued by Housing Works celebrating this client-based achievement, GMHC had no comment on Rivera's appointment. Board co-chair Matthew Moore sent Rivera a letter on Sept 22 welcoming him to the Board. Posted on Housing Works Website on Jun 18, Diana Scholl, the press liaison said that "the New York City Ryan White Planning Council passed a resolution 20 to two calling on non-profit organizations receiving Ryan White Part A funds that primarily serve HIV-positive clients to have a consumer sit on their Board of Directors." The resolution, the result of the tireless efforts from mostly members of GMHC's CAB, especially in the adherence and enforcement of the Denver Principles, mandated that all AIDS Service Organizations receiving Ryan White funding should include HIV-positive clients on their Boards.

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First evidence of possible vaccine as US military-backed medical trial in Thailand cuts HIV infection rate by a third

By Sarah Boseley and Haroon Siddique
The UK Guardian

A medical trial in Thailand has raised hopes of a major breakthrough in the fight against Aids after scientists said an experimental vaccine had reduced the risk of HIV infection by a third.

 

The world's largest HIV/Aids vaccine trial of more than 16,000 volunteers was the first in which infection has been prevented, according to the US army, which sponsored the trial with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. A combination of two vaccines was tested on HIV-negative Thai men and women aged 18 to 30 at average risk of becoming infected. All the volunteers were given counselling and condoms to help them avoid HIV. Then half were randomly picked to receive the vaccine, while the other half got dummy shots. Until the trial ended, nobody knew who had been given the genuine vaccine and who had not.

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National News

(New York, NY) - Two U.S. Representatives, the Hon. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and the Hon. Howard Berman (D-CA) together have sponsored a forum on HIV, Human Rights and Men Who have Sex with Men at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday, Sept 16.

The Forum is scheduled to begin at noon and continue until 3:00 p.m in the Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2200. Organized by the lawmakers, it draws on the expertise of the United Nations AIDS or UNAIDS and is in collaboration with the HIV Policy Working Group on Men Who Have Sex with Men and other Sexual Minorities.

 

Presenters at the forum include: Ambassador Eric Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator; Tudor Kovacs, Population Services International, Romania; Jaevion Nelson, Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network, Jamaica; Michel Sidibé, executive director, UNAIDS; and Cheikh Traoré, Ph.D., senior advisor, Sexual Diversity, UNDP. Other organizations involved in the forum include, Advocates for Youth, "Until it's over" AIDS Action, Alliance, amfAR AIDS Research, AIDS Project Los Angeles, Global Health Council, Gay Men's Health Crisis, International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission, International Women's Health Coalition, MSMGF, National Association of Social Workers, and psi. According to Traore, the United States spends several billions of dollars every year as its contribution and part of its global AIDS response. "The meeting has been called…to sensitize U.S. politicians and law makers on the urgency of addressing the HIV-related needs of men who have sex with men, and transgender people, who have historically been largely forgotten by AIDS responses across the world. The U.S. has a powerful role to play to change this state of affairs," said Traore. While the Forum is open and free to the public, those interested in attending are advised to contact Genora Reed , Pauline Muchina,  or 202-223-7613, or Krista Lauer,  or 213-201-1317; or the Website, Other events around the world:

Sep 17 - 27 St. Petersburg, Russia The International Festival of Queer Culture Web Sep 20 Belgrade, Serbia Belgrade Pride 2009 Web Sep 21 - 25 Zagreb, Croatia Course - HIV Surveillance in Hard to Reach Populations Web Sep 22 - 25 Gaborone, Botswana Aids Impact Conference  Web Sep 25 London, UK Critical Sexology Seminar: Queer in Europe Web Sep 29 - 30 Pretoria, South Africa Conference Imagined Futures IV: Sexualities and Silences Web

 

Study: Black Churches Could Help HIV Prevention

A study presented at the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference found that HIV-risk reduction programs for inner-city black youth can be convincing when churches administer them, Pediatric Supersite reports. According to the article, investigators studied 613 African-American parents from black Baptist churches located in low-income communities in Philadelphia and paired them with one of their children who were ages 11 to 14. The parent-child pairs were randomly assigned to one of three types of interventions: a faith-based abstinence-only approach; a non-faith-based abstinence-only approach; and a general health approach. The interventions included films, exercises and group discussions for three consecutive weeks followed by additional interventions three and six months later. A large majority of the parent-child pairs were retained during the additional interventions. (Editor's Note: article republished from POZ magazine, previously published on Aug 28, 2009)

News Briefs: National: HIV/AIDS

(New York, NY) - U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced on Aug 25 her intent to appoint Helene Gayle, MD, MPH as Chair of the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS at the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference held in Atlanta, GA.
"HIV remains a major threat to the health of our nation, and when one of our fellow citizens becomes infected with HIV every nine-and-a-half minutes, the epidemic affects all Americans," said President Obama.

Helene Gayle, MD, MPH

"As we organize numerous ways to engage the American people in confronting the HIV epidemic in our country, the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS will play a critical role in developing and implementing a National HIV/AIDS Strategy. Dr. Gayle brings an intense commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS and unique experience in advancing public health. I look forward to her leadership and counsel," the President said.

In the announcement, Secretary Sebelius said that Dr. Gayle is an internationally acclaimed leader with a long history of working to end the epidemic both around the world and here at home in the United States.

"It is only fitting that we are announcing Dr. Gayle's appointment today at the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference since she sponsored the first HIV Prevention Conference when she was at the CDC.

"We are hopeful that the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS, under her leadership, will serve a platform to share our plans and insights with the public health community and the public and serve as a vehicle to carry their ideas and input back to the Administration," Sebelius said.
The Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA), while advisory, provides advice, information, and recommendations to the Secretary of Health and Human Service and the President regarding programs and policies intended to promote effective prevention of the HIV disease, to advance research on HIV and AIDS, and to promote quality services to persons living with HIV and AIDS. The HHS Secretary provides reports from the Council to the President, becoming the liaison between the Council and the President.

Dr. Gayle, in her appointment as Chair, is currently president and CEO of CARE USA, and is an internationally recognized expert on health, global development and humanitarian issues. Dr. Gayle spent 20 years with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), where she had focused primarily on combating HIV/AIDS, particularly in a variety of roles involving research, programs and policy. She was appointed as the first director of the National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention and achieved the rank of Rear Admiral and Assistant Surgeon General in the U.S. Public Health Service.

News Briefs: National: HIV/AIDS

From 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference, Atlanta, GA

Following on a campaign promise when he was a senator running for the presidency, President Barack Obama announced on Aug 21 the launch of the National HIV/AIDS Community Discussions, a series of nationwide events hosted by the White House Office of National AIDS Policy (ONAP) to allow active public participation in the formation of a national HIV/AIDS strategy.

Senator Obama getting tested for HIV

"If elected, during my first year in office, I will develop and implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies," Obama said during the campaign when interviewed by the Washington Blade, a gay and lesbian weekly newspaper in Washington, D.C.
The first community discussion took place on Aug 25 during the 2009 National HIV Prevention Conference held in Atlanta, Georgia.

In a statement to the conference, Obama said, "HIV remains a serious challenge to the American people, and I am committed to developing an effective National HIV/AIDS Strategy. The National HIV/AIDS Community Discussions will provide an opportunity for members of the public to give their input on how we can best address this crucial issue. With the insights from communities across the country, we will have a strategy that is focused on the goals of reducing HIV incidence, getting people living with HIV/AIDS into care and improving health outcomes, and reducing HIV-related health disparities."

In the coming months, future discussions are scheduled for Washington, DC; New York City; San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angeles, California; Houston; Albuquerque; Jackson, Missouri; Fort Lauderdale; Minneapolis; Columbia, South Carolina; Puerto Rico; and the Virgin Islands.

Protestors Demand Funding for AIDS Housing, Global AIDS efforts and Needle Exchange

By Sr. Correspondent, Antoine Craigwell

(New York, NY) - AIDS activists from across the Northeast U.S. were arrested on Jul 9 for staging a loud demonstration inside the Capitol Rotunda before Congressional votes on appropriations for life-saving programs and in advance of President Obama's first trip to Africa since his election, to draw attention to the rising rates of HIV across the African sub-continent..

A press release issued by Housing Works, stated that the activists decried the Obama administration's failure to make good on a range of AIDS campaign promises including his pledge: to lift the federal ban on funding syringe exchange, to fully fund lifesaving global AIDS programs, and to fully fund AIDS housing programs in this year's budget. They demanded that Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and other Congressional leadership fix President Obama's flawed budget proposal.

 

"HIV is not in recession, so why are we bailing out the bankers but breaking promises to fund life-saving programs here in the US and around the world?" asked Omolola Adele-Oso, representing the organization, DC Fights Back. Charles King, president and CEO, Housing Works, who is living with HIV, was among the activists who were arrested. "Obama can no longer ignore the promises that he made in order to win the support of Americans who care about ending the AIDS epidemic. So far, he has let us down on all fronts," said King. According to the release, the protest was intended to bring attention to three issues where the administration has failed to live up to its promises: AIDS housing funding - Obama's budget flat funds the Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS Act (HOPWA), the only federal program that funds housing for people living with AIDS, even as the number of U.S infections increases. Housing is proven to reduce the spread of the disease and save money on shelter and emergency room costs. Activists want to see HOPWA funding increased from $310 million to $360 million. "We are here because we know that our friends, families, and communities are still dying," said Larry Bryant of Housing Works. "From DC to California to Zambia people living with AIDS need Congress to act this week and need the administration to make good on its promises."

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CDC proposes removing barrier for admissibility and immigrant benefits

By Antoine Craigwell

(New York, NY) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced that it is proposing a change to a rule barring immigrants with HIV from entry to the country or aliens from being eligible for immigration benefits. In a 70-page notice signed by U.S. Secretary of Health, Kathleen Sebelius, and sent to the federal register dated Jun 30, 2009, for publication on Jul 2, 2009, the CDC proposed removing the barrier that HIV is a communicable disease.

In Jul 2008, President George Bush signed a law authorizing the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to lift the ban on foreigners with HIV entering the United States. But, despite the authorization, the ban had not been stricken from the DHHS regulations, rather, the Department of Homeland Security had instituted a series of measures designed to "streamline" the process for entry into the U.S. for people living with HIV. The DHHS, until recently, had deemed ineligible for immigrant benefits or inadmissible any HIV-positive alien in the United States seeking adjustment of status or anyone coming into the country. This announcement comes on the heels of the 60 HIV-positive Canadians denied entry into the United States to attend a Jun 2009 summit on housing for HIV-positive people. As a rule change, it would allow the U.S. to host the annual International AIDS conference, which has been held in other countries, most recently in Mexico City, because the U.S., as one of a number of countries, including Brunei, Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Sudan, South Korea, Tunisia, Turks & Caicos Islands and the United Arab Emirates; to bar HIV-positive people from entering the country.

Up until this announcement, the DHHS operated on granting waivers for HIV-positive people to enter the U.S., but which could take a long time to be approved; applications for HIV waivers to the CDC are also required for HIV-positive aliens residing in the U.S. who are seeking adjustment of status.

The CDC notice referred to 42 CFR Part 34, Docket No. CDC-2008-0001, stated that it is proposing to revise Part 34, the "Medical Examination of Aliens - Removal of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Infection from Definition of Communicable Disease of Public Health Significance," and is proposing to remove references to HIV from the scope of examinations in its regulations.

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Radio Talk Show host in flap over inappropriate advice

By Antoine Craigwell

Members of the Black gay community are up in arms and clamoring for the management of WBLS 107.5FM and its main company ICBC Holdings, Inc., to censure and educate popular radio talk show host, Wendy Williams, on HIV issues. In an insensitive Don Imus-like manner, Williams provoked the ire of the Black gay community when she casually dismissed one of her callers who, on her Advice Hour show, asked her for advice on dealing with a HIV positive situation.

 

According to Sheldon DeSouza, communications co-chair for the Black Gay Men Network, an online network of professional Black gay men under the umbrella of the National AIDS Institute, he was listening to the Wendy Williams show on Wednesday, May 13, when a caller from New York, a 23-year-old African-American man, spoke of being involved with and dating for about a month, a man he met.

He said the man told him that he was HIV-positive. The caller asked Williams what he should do. Despite the fact that the young man declared that he had not had sex with the man, Williams launched into a tirade about him being kept in the dark and tricked into having sex without being fully informed of the other man's HIV status and the caller should "dump" the HIV-positive suitor. The caller said that the HIV-positive man, who is serious about pursuing a relationship with him, felt it important to inform him in advance before taking their relationship to the next level, having sex.

Instead of congratulating the caller on his decision, to at least find out how to handle the situation, the gist of the conversation between Williams and the young man went like this: Caller: So what should I do Wendy? Williams: I can't tell you what to do, but if that were me he would turn around and find skid marks. Caller: But Wendy he is very generous with me and treats me great. Williams: How many people in the room agree with me? Williams: Everyone in the room has their hand in the air; some people have both hands in the air. (Laughter) Williams: At 23 you don't need to deal with someone who is HIV positive. Hmmmm .... somebody is saying you should definitely dump him with a quickness. (Laughter)

On his arrival home, DeSouza said he immediately called the radio show and 45 minutes later spoke with Williams to express his disappointment with her advice. He said he outlined eight different points in his on-air conversation with Williams, including telling her that he is gay, masculine, highly educated, secure, and not on the "down low," at the end of which Williams supposedly said that she and DeSouza would have to agree to disagree. When he had ended his call, several subsequent callers expressed their ignorance of the difference between HIV and AIDS, one caller referring to DeSouza as a "donkey." DeSouza suggested that the Black gay community register its outrage at this misinformation and discrimination by calling 866-GET-WENDY or even faxing their disagreement to 866-936-3932.

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Action in violation of U.S. Government rules.

By Sr. Correspondent, Antoine Craigwell

(New York, NY) - Sixty Canadians living with HIV were barred from entry into the U.S. The Canadians were to attend the North American Housing and HIV/AIDS Research Summit in Washington, D.C. from Jun 2 to 5. Housing Works together with the National AIDS Housing Coalition (NAHC) and the Ontario HIV Treatment Network (OHTN), co-sponsors of the Summit, expressed outrage over barring the Canadians, which is contrary to U.S. policy that foreigners living with HIV would no longer be barred from entering the country.

 

According to a press release issued by the consortium of agencies, the groups have called on Secretary of State Hilary Clinton to resolve the matter, and on President Obama to eliminate the regulations from the Department of Health and Human Services that are keeping the HIV travel ban in place. The organization's press release stated that in Jul 2008, President Bush signed a law authorizing the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to lift the ban on foreigners with HIV entering the United States. The U.S. is one of 14 countries worldwide that bar entry to people with HIV, which has drawn broad condemnation from domestic and international human rights organizations. The other countries that ban visits by people living with the HIV besides the U.S. are Brunei, Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar, Singapore, Sudan, South Korea, Tunisia, Turks & Caicos Islands and the United Arab Emirates.

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By Sr. Correspondent, Antoine Craigwell

Four social service agencies received a total of $475,000 to combat rising and alarming rates of HIV infection in people over 50.

(New York, NY) - On Mar 30, the MAC AIDS Fund announced in a press release that it was granting $150,000 to the AIDS Community Research Initiative of America (ACRIA), $150,000 to Gay Men's Health Crisis (GHMC), $150,000 to Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE) and $25,000 to the GRIOT Circle; as a collaborative effort to fight HIV/AIDS in the senior lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community (LGBT).


 

Marjorie Hill, Ph.D., CEO, GMHC, said that the grant from MAC AIDS Fund shows that regardless of the challenges to the overall economic environment, creative solutions can still be found to address the most urgent issues affecting the LGBT community. "We are particularly grateful to MAC AIDS for their willingness to support innovative strategies for prevention models and education at this crucial moment in the epidemic," said Hill. According to the release, MAC AIDS Fund's response is in keeping with the alarming spike in HIV infections among people over 50 years old and has become a cause for serious concern for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who reported a 25 percent increase in infections among this particular age group between 2006 and 2007.

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By Sr. Correspondent, Antoine Craigwell

(New York, NY) - Letters, petitions and resolutions are stoking fires that seem to be building to a confrontation between Gay Men's Health Crisis (GHMC) Board of Directors and its Consumer Advisory Board (CAB).

At a meeting on Thursday, Mar 12, close to 60 people, members of CAB, gathered in the ninth floor board room of the GMHC building on West 24th Street, for their monthly meeting and to discuss among other items, the rejection of five candidates, one of whom would have been selected to assume a representative position on the agency's Board of Directors.

In a letter, distributed to all the members at the CAB meeting, dated Mar 9, from Odell Mays, chair of GMHC's Board of Directors, to Manuel Rivera, CAB chair; said that while he [Mays] reaffirms his commitment as a community activist who has worked in the AIDS community for years and as an advocate for representation, that with regard to a CAB designated seat on the Board, "…my position has been pretty consistent. I do not feel that the agency is best served by having any designated seats…"


 

But Mays' letter seems to contradict a previous letter sent by the agency's executive director, Marjorie Hill, Ph.D., and co-signed by Robert Bank, Esq., chief operating officer; to the CAB dated Jun 28, 2007, in which it acknowledged a meeting which discussed "the creation of a seat on the GHMC Board of Directors and for the CAB to recommend GHMC clients to serve on the GHMC Board of Directors." The letter continued by saying that the CAB should recommend "up to five GHMC clients who are or will become members of the CAB for consideration for GHMC Board of Directors membership." "We don't want any more coffee clutches or nice little meetings with the Board. We want to have a representative on the Board," said Rivera during the heated debate which followed the report on proposed action by the committee.

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By Ken Horton

The National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day event was held on March 10, 2009, at the Camille Cosby Academic Center Auditorium. The event was sponsored by SisterLove, Inc., an organization of powerful women who are dedicated to helping women whose lives have been impacted by HIV and AIDS.

The event centered on the viewing of a gripping documentary entitled, "All Of Us: Love and sex can mean life or death." 

Set in the South Bronx of New York City, the documentary follows Dr. Mehret Mandefro, a young African-American hospital resident who takes the viewers into the lives of two of her female patients as they identify and struggle with the social barriers that first put them at risk. The optimistic Chevelle, abandoned by her family as a teen, endured drug abuse and promiscuity with men for cash and love. When the viewers meet her, she has been clean for a year and is determined to earn her GED and become financially stable for the sake of her new husband and three-year-old son. Tara has suffered sexual abuse for much of her young life and resorted to sex to survive. Her self-serving boyfriend is pressuring her for sex even though she is undergoing a painful series of invasive surgeries for cervical cancer. Despite her fragile condition, Tara works to overcome her fear of saying no and gains new confidence along the way. Mandefro expands her research to include women across boundaries of race, class and country. She also begins to come to terms with extremely personal situations as they appear in her own life. Thus, when she steps out of her comfort zone and role as doctor, Mehret shows a vulnerability that's touching to say the least.

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Report from National Black AIDS Institute

By Antoine Craigwell

Commemorating the National AIDS Awareness Day, February 7, and reiterating the 2008 statistics of the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC), the National Black AIDS Institute today issued its annual report of the State of AIDS in Black America.

Download Full Report Here

Download Executive Summary Here

Learn how to take action here

According to the Institute's report, the premier national Black AIDS service organization, the number of Black Americans, who constitute 13 percent of the U.S. population, but 45 percent of all who are HIV positive and living with AIDS, is greater than the populations of Ethiopia, Botswana, Haiti and Guyana combined.



But, the report says, drawing on a new president and legislature amenable to, and a Black America more willing to engage in discussion about HIV and AIDS issues, "could create real, lasting change in the course of the U.S. AIDS epidemic."

Announced in a press release from the Institute's Los Angeles, CA office, by Phill Wilson, the Institute's CEO, the report Making Change Real: The State of AIDS in Black America 2009, was co-written by Kai Wright and Myisha Patterson-Gatson. The report draws not only on the statistics of the CDC, but on the testimonies of epidemiological professionals, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in the National Institutes of Health; and Dr. Kevin Fenton, director, National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention with the CDC; as well as individual people from different parts of the country to highlight the nationwide impact and effect of the virus.

 

Phil Wilson

"With our country facing so many challenges-two wars, a financial meltdown and the growing threat of environmental devastation-it may be tempting to relegate the AIDS epidemic to the back burner of national priorities. That would be a grave mistake," says Wilson.

Using charts and graphs to demonstrate the stark racial disparities, the 76-page report addresses among other issues the amount of money committed, and spent on HIV and AIDS prevention and treatment in Black communities as well as highlights the sharply increased number of Black women and young men between 13 and 29-years-old who are infected with the virus. It also calls for the establishment of National AIDS Strategy to effectively address the epidemic of HIV and AIDS in Black communities.

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By Ken Horton

Over 300 people from across the country attended the fifth annual National African-American MSM Leadership Conference on HIV/AIDS that took place January 22 - 24 here in Atlanta. Supported by the National AIDS Education & Services for Minorities (NAESM), the conference joined community leaders, health professionals, and the general public to discuss the epidemic among black men who have sex with men (MSM).

Terence McPhaul

Terence McPhaul, coordinator for the Department of Health Education & Prevention at the Atlanta-based NAESM, was very enthusiastic about the purpose of the conference.
"This conference is really about empowering people with the tools they need to take back to their communities and help reduce the spread of HIV," McPhaul said.

Dr. Kevin Fenton

This was the first time that the conference was held in Atlanta and with it coinciding with the inauguration of President Obama and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, organizers felt that Atlanta was the appropriate city to hold the conference. Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention (NCHHSTP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was one of the more prominent speakers at the conference.

"HIV and AIDS continue to pose a major threat to the health and well-being of MSM across the United States," Fenton said. "The African-American MSM statistics are particularly alarming. Nearly half-- 46%-- of black MSM who were surveyed by the CDC in urban community settings, were HIV positive. This is twice the proportion of white men in those areas. We also know that black men who are HIV positive are more likely to be unaware of their HIV status then white and Hispanic men.
Another speaker at the conference was Dr. David Malebranche, an assistant professor at Emory University's School of Medicine.

"African-American men can experience racial stress, sexual promiscuity, stereotypes, gender role expectations and other pressures in the medical community," Malebranche said. "Poorer men especially face barriers to finding an empathetic doctor who understands their unique health risks."
Other speakers who participated in the conference were Christopher Bates, acting director of the Office of HIV/AIDS Policy at the Department of Health & Human Services as well as Lajon "Mike" Survillion, the charismatic star of Logo's "Shirts & Skins," a reality TV series about a gay basketball team.
The theme of this year's conference was, "Our People, Our Work, Our Success."

By Ken Horton
Edited by: D. Kevin McNeir

Healthy Black Communities, Inc. recently hosted a town hall meeting about the impact that HIV and AIDS are having on the city of Atlanta at the Grounds Coffeehouse in the City's West End area. This was the first of a series of discussions that will happen in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area on HIV and AIDS prevention, care, and treatment in black communities.

National Black HIV and AIDS Awareness Day [NBHAAD] is a day to focus on the prevention of HIV/AIDS in the black community. While Blacks make up 13 percent of the population in the United States, it is estimated that the black community accounts for almost 49 percent of all HIV and AIDS cases in this country. Many more continue to be infected and affected by this unbiased disease.

NBHAAD was founded in 2000 and recognized on February 7th of every year. It is the day when African-Americans across the United States and abroad are encouraged to "get educated, get tested, get treated, and get involved" with HIV/AIDS.

"HIV and AIDS are both having a devastating impact on Blacks in Atlanta and across the country," sais LaMont "Montee" Evans, CEO and founder, Healthy Black Communities. "We have community-based organizations, the health department and hospitals in our beloved city that can and do assist in testing, educating, getting people involved and assisting them with accessing treatment and care."

Evans is also a member of the NBHAAD Strategic Leadership Council.

NBLCA HIV/AIDS commemoration at NYC City Hall

By Antoine Craigwell

(New York, NY) - The National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA) hosted its inaugural commemoration at City Hall on Thursday, Feb 5, as a precursor to the nationwide celebrations of Feb 7, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

Rev. Alfonso Wyatt

Close to 200 people gathered in City Hall's Council Chambers for a program on the State of HIV/AIDS in Black America which was presented by NBLCA, and which included State Senator Bill Perkins (D-30th Senate District), Council Members Inez Dickens (D-Council District 9), Robert Jackson (D-Council District 7), and Alan Gerson (D-Council District 1).

The program's master of ceremonies was Rev. Alfonso Wyatt, chair, NBLCA-NYC, who introduced Dickens and Jackson, each of whom made remarks. As the co-chair of the Council's Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, Jackson, drawing a comparison to the tuberculosis test he had as a child, he said that everyone needs to know their HIV status. Continuing along the vein of personal commitment to his community, he said since he has been making blood donations annually, now he gives platelets and is a registered organ and bone marrow donor. As the Majority Whip in the City Council, Dickens spoke of the representation of change with a new president, but said that despite the complications, HIV must be a priority.

C. Virginia Fields

To set the stage for the keynote address, there was a showing of an excerpt from the ABC News documentary, Out of Control - AIDS in Black America which was aired on Aug 24, 2006.
C. Virginia Fields presented the key note address. After acknowledging and recognizing various people in the audience, including the NBCLA staff, she said that almost three years and three decades later Black people nationwide are still facing some of the same issues; the HIV crisis is far from over. She quoted statistics from the U.S. Center for Diseases Control and from the National Medical Association (NMA) report, Addressing the HIV/AIDS Crisis in the African American Community: Fact, Fiction and Policy.

Drawing comparisons between the numbers of Blacks in America who are HIV positive, Fields said that it was greater than the populations of Ethiopia, Botswana, Haiti and Guyana, combined.

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Each year, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) is recognized on February 7th. This is the time when celebrities and community activists stand together in unity to fight HIV/AIDS – a devastating disease that is plaguing the African American community.

NBHAAD is a national mobilization effort designed to encourage African Americans across the United States and Territorial areas to get educated, get tested, get treated, and get involved with HIV/AIDS. This year’s theme is “Black Life is Worth Saving!”

Hill Harper for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
 

“Of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, HIV and AIDS have hit African Americans the hardest,” says Steven Davis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lead sponsor and a member of the NBHAAD Strategic Leadership Council. A nationally recognized commemorative day, NBHAAD will include special events such as press conferences, community forums, church services, community marches and rallies, and free HIV/AIDS testing, counseling and referrals which will be held throughout the nation for African Americans to get educated, get tested, get treated and get involved. In addition, NBHAAD has obtained the support of numerous noted celebrities to join in the delivery of the message to serve as national spokespersons.
Confirmed spokespersons include (listed in alpha order and at time of printing): U.S. Congressman Elijah E. Cummings; Tony Dungy (head coach of the Indianapolis Colts); Idris Elba (The Wire, Tyler Perry’s Daddy’s Little Girls; Prom Night); Kimberly Elise (Beloved, The Manchurian Candidate, Tyler Perry’s Diary of a Mad Black Woman);
Kim Fields (Facts of Life, Living Single); Lance Gross (Tyler Perry’s House of Payne); Hill Harper (CSI: NY); Taraji P. Henson (Not Easily Broken, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button); Tom Joyner (Host of the Tom Joyner Morning Show); U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee; Ludacris;Bishop Eddie Long (Pastor, New Birth Missionary Baptist Church); Master P;Tangi Miller (Felicity); Patrik-Ian Polk (creator of Noah’s Arc); General Colin Powell; Sheryl Lee Ralph (Moesha, Sister Act, To Sleep With Anger); Gloria Reuben (ER); Rev. Edwin Sanders (pastor of the Metropolitan Interdenominational Church); Tavis Smiley (author, journalist, political commentator and talk show host); and U.S. Congresswoman Maxine Waters.
For Black men, the most common ways of contracting HIV are (in order) having unprotected sex with another man who is HIV+ sharing injection drug works (like needles or syringes) with someone who is HIV+ having unprotected sex with a woman who is HIV+
The statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are a deafening wake up call: When we look at HIV/AIDS by race and ethnicity, we see that African Americans have more illness (even though blacks account for about 13% of the U.S. population, we account for about half [49%] of the people who get HIV and AIDS), shorter survival times (Blacks with AIDS often don’t live as long as people of other races and ethnic groups with AIDS), and more deaths (for African Americans and other blacks, HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death). NBHAAD is currently directed, planned and organized by a group known as the Strategic Leadership Council who partners with the CDC 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. For more information on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, including the complete listings of events in the local communities, visit BlackHIV/AIDS Day. A calendar poster featuring the 2009 Celebrity spokespersons is available upon request. To request a copy, visit the local NBHAAD partner office, or contact Sonshine Communications at (305) 948-8063.

Hello Everyone,

This is Justin B Smith from Justin's HIV Journal. As most of you can recall I was put on the HIV medication regime that incorporated Norvir, Truvada, and Rayatez, it took a while for my body to adjust to these medications.

  

The Rayatez medication made my eyes yellow, which means that it was affecting my Liver functions. I first noticed this about a week after starting the medication. I was so self conscience about my eyes. Everyone was going to know that I was sick and there was nothing I could do about it. I told my doctor at the next appointment. He told me that it might occur when first stating the medications. I believe in what my doctor told me. After a few weeks went by my eyes were still a little yellow.

Justin's HIV Journal: Trouble with Medications Part I

My second visit to my doctor was a good one. I voiced my concerns and he listened. He instructed me to go to the lab and get my blood work done. As I sat in my chair having my blood work done I thought about the events of the future. I thought about then candidate Barack H. Obama. I thought about the many struggles that this man had to endure. That was the moment I posed a question to myself, "What was this man's drive to become President of a wounded country?" My second thought was, "I'm wounded, but NOT dead". The third visit was the reading of my blood work. It turned out to be a surprise to me. My eyes have since been better. I have been feeling so much better and the election in November gave me a lot of hope.

Justin's HIV Journal: Trouble with Medications Part II

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