National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Feb. 3, 2009 by Lisa Currie
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has designated Saturday, February 7, 2009 as National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. As they state:
Of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, HIV and AIDS have hit African Americans the hardest. The reasons are not directly related to race or ethnicity, but rather some of the barriers faced by many African Americans. These barriers can include poverty (being poor), sexually transmitted diseases, and stigma (negative attitudes, beliefs, and actions directed at people living with HIV/AIDS or directed at people who do things that might put them at risk for HIV). HIV remains a persistent threat to the health, well-being, and human potential of many African American communities. As the impact of the epidemic among African Americans has grown, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), state and local public health agencies, and African American communities have stepped up efforts to address the crisis. read full article…
The CDC also offers a few suggestions on what you can do:
- Learn About HIV/AIDS. Educate yourself, friends, and family about HIV/AIDS and what you can do to protect yourself. (Click here for relevant resources from WesWELL.)
- Get tested for HIV. To find a testing site near you, call 1-800-CDC-INFO, visit hivtest.org, or, on your cell phone, text your zip code to Know IT (566948). (At Wesleyan, HIV and other sexual health testing is available for students through Health Services. Click here to find out more.)
- Speak Out against stigma, homophobia, racism, and other forms of discrimination associated with HIV/AIDS.
- Donate time and money to HIV/AIDS organizations that work within African American communities.