This past Sunday, the attention of millions was focused on Super Bowl 50, but the day also marked the 16th year of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD), an annual HIV testing and treatment community mobilization initiative targeted at the black population in the United States and the diaspora. National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was first observed in 1999. The Strategic Leadership Council plans and implements this observance. This year’s theme is ‘I Am My Brother’s and Sister’s Keeper: Fight HIV/AIDS.’
[Related: World AIDS Day Urges People to Rethink HIV]
The National Black Justice Coalition, a civil rights group dedicated to ending homophobia and racism, joined communities across the nation and world to acknowledge that black people, families and communities have been the most impacted by HIV/AIDS. Blacks make up 12% of the U.S. population, but account for 44% of new HIV diagnoses, the highest rate of all races/ethnicities. Among all blacks, gay and bisexual black men, especially young men, are disproportionately affected.
However, there are some encouraging signs of progress. New diagnoses among blacks declined by 22%, with a 14% decline from 2010-2014. New diagnoses among black women were cut nearly in half, with a 25% decline from 2010-2014. Black gay and bisexual men ages 13-24 experienced a steep increase in new diagnoses, but diagnoses among this group declined by 2% from 2010-2014.
“It is important to take this time to educate the public and reach out to African American New Yorkers, who make up a disproportionate number of those affected by HIV and AIDS,†said Sharen Duke, executive director of Aids Service Center New York City in a statement. “More than half of women with HIV are
African American, rates of HIV transmission among African American men, particularly gay and bisexual men, continue to rise, and we must do all we can to move towards an end to this epidemic, an end to new infections and a ceaseless commitment to care for and get new treatments to those living with HIV,†concluded Duke.Research shows that poverty in isolation and fear of discrimination, lack of quality and accessible healthcare, and overt and systemic racism–compounded with deep-seated stigma–continues to place many in the black community at-risk for infection. However, black youth and emerging leaders are stepping up like never before to make ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic a key pillar of justice for black lives in our nation. These resilient individuals are Talking to Stop HIV. They are leading innovative efforts to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS by Doing It — Testing for HIV and promoting the usage of medicines that prevent and treat HIV–including pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and antiretroviral therapy (ART).
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On National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, NBJC highlighted the work of members of 100 Black LGBTQ/SGL Emerging Leaders to Watch (#100toWatch) who are directly working to end HIV/AIDS. This group of social justice warriors are on the front lines of ending the epidemic that disproportionately infects black youth, black gay and bisexual men, and black transgender women. Utilizing the four key focus areas for NBHAAD, learn from our #100toWatch members whose daily work is to educate, bring awareness and mobilize black communities to end the spread and impact of HIV/AIDS.
“Efforts to end HIV as a nation have failed to empower the most marginalized and underserved communities,” NBJC’s Vernon C. Jones Jr. and Isaiah R. Wilson wrote in a blog post for Worlds Aids Day. Both black men are living with HIV. Jones serves as the program officer for the LGBT Health and Wellness Initiatives and Wilson serves as the external affairs manager. “We have to continue to build on the work and legacy of so many HIV advocates and leaders who have tirelessly fought on the front lines to end the epidemic.”
“As a recent report of the Black Youth Project states, black youth are now leading the movement for justice for black lives in this nation and recognize that ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic is a cornerstone of this pursuit. However, ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the black community will require a collective community effort deeply rooted in the black family,†the two millennials surmised.