National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was founded by five national
organizations funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1999
to provide capacity building assistance to Black communities and organizations.
The initiative begin in 2000 with these five key organizations: Concerned Black
Men, Inc. of Philadelphia; Health Watch Information and Promotion Services,
Inc.; Jackson State University - Mississippi Urban Research Center; National
Black Alcoholism and Addictions Council; and National Black Leadership
Commission on AIDS.
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day began as a grass roots effort
with hundreds of organizations registering events and/or activities to raise
the awareness of HIV and AIDS in their communities. It is shaped around the
needs of those communities that work hard each and every year to make it a
success. Each year, almost 20,000 Blacks in the United States test positive for
HIV, that is an alarming amount if you multiply it times the last five years
alone - that's 100,000 Blacks who are now living with HIV or may have died from
AIDS related complications. It's time for us to do something different that
inspires young and old, gay and straight, religious and non-religious, etc. to
get on board with realizing the value and worth of Black life and acting
accordingly.
February 7, 2013 marks the 13th year for National Black HIV/AIDS
Awareness Day, a national HIV testing and treatment community mobilization
initiative targeted at Blacks in the United States and the Diaspora. There are
four specific focal points: education, testing, involvement, and treatment.
Educationally, the focus is to get Blacks educated about the basics of HIV/AIDS
in their local communities. Testing is at the core of this initiative, as it is
hoped that Blacks will mark February 7th of every year as their annual or
biannual day to get tested for HIV. This is vital for those who are sexually
active and those at high risk of contracting HIV. When it comes to community
and organization leadership, getting Blacks involved to serve is another key
focus. We need Black People from all walks of life, economic classes, literacy
levels, shades and tones as well as communities (large and small) to get
connected to the work happening on the ground in their local areas. And lastly,
for those living with HIV or newly testing positive for the virus, getting them
connected to treatment and care services becomes paramount. We have learned
that you can't lead Black people towards HIV/AIDS education, prevention,
testing, leadership or treatment unless you love them. And, we can't save Black
people from an epidemic unless we serve Black people.
Regardless of where we stand on sexual orientation, religious
beliefs/values, age, income, education or otherwise; Black Life is worth saving
and working for the betterment of our survival has to become our paramount
objective and goal. "We know how it feels to lose someone from an illness,
but we also know how to love someone through it. It is time for us to put AIDS
behind us by making sure those living with HIV and/or AIDS know we care. We
stand on some strong shoulders that intended for us to survive.." says,
LaMont "Montee" Evans, NBHAAD National Coordinator.
For 2013 and moving forward, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day,
Healthy Black Communities (HBC) will serve as the lead organization,
responsible for overseeing the initiative and coordinating communication via
email, and regular mail; HBC develops the imagery of the initiative annually;
designs and maintains the website; and ensures that orders and registrations
are received and processed accordingly. HBC has been in this role since 2006
and CEO Evans led the initiative while serving as Executive Director of
Concerned Black Men, Inc. of Philadelphia. February 7, 2013 will make the 10th
year CEO Evans has overseen NBHAAD either overall or through national
partnerships.
This initiative has had an array of national spokespersons:
congressional leaders, faith based leaders, entertainers, actors, actresses,
authors, radio personalities, and the list goes on and on. Some of the most
notable spokespersons have been: President Barack Obama during his term in the
Illinois Senate, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Bishop TD Jakes, Radio
Personality Tom Joyner, former NAACP President and CEO Kwesi Mfume, Congressman
Elijah Cummings, Actor/Author Harper Hill, Screenwriter Patrik Ian Polk, and
the list goes on.
We are now asking those who are concerned about HIV/AIDS in the Black community to step up and become a leader, an NBHAAD ambassador, a local community organizer and help us raise the awareness of HIV/AIDS in Black communities, both domestically and internationally. Together, we can ensure that future generations will not have to bury as many or watch as many struggle with this epidemic.
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