The following is a statement from National Minority AIDS Council Deputy Executive Director Daniel C. Montoya:
“Today, we commemorate the 11th annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). This year’s theme is ‘It Takes a Village to Fight AIDS.’ In our current political climate, this theme could not be more appropriate. The current economic crisis has put more urgency behind our response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic than possibly at any other time in its 30 year history.
“Every year on February 7th, the African American and AIDS Communities commemorate NBHAAD by urging its brothers and sisters to get educated, get tested and get involved. Since the onset of the epidemic, HIV/AIDS has had a vast and disproportionate impact on the African American community. Despite making up just over one-tenth of the U.S. population, African Americans account for almost half of all people living with the disease. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 59 percent of black gay men who are HIV positive, are unaware of their status.
“The National Minority AIDS Council is proud to stand with its friends and colleagues in the AIDS community in recognizing the importance of addressing the impact of the epidemic among African Americans. We must all work together if we are to eliminate the devastating health disparities facing the Black community.”
Contact: Kyle Murphy, (202) 483-6622 ext. 333
kmurphy@nmac.org