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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 21, 2014--As part of its national “AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue” advocacy and awareness campaign, which was developed in response to the fact that African American and Latino communities continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has teamed locally in South Florida for an ‘AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue Evening of Action’ on Wednesday, April 23 rd with local partners including Ft. Lauderdale’s , (MODCO) as well as other religious, civic and community groups.
AIDS Healthcare Foundation launched a new national advocacy and awareness campaign headlined “AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue,” and is hosting forums and town hall panel discussions around the country. (Photo: Business Wire)
The ‘AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue Evening of Action’ takes place Wednesday, April 23 rd from 6:30pm until 9:00pm (a free dinner open to the public will be served onsite from 5:00pm to 6:30pm). The campaign and event takes place during the 50 th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964—with a keynote address by Reverend Al Sharpton followed by a town hall panel discussion with panelists including , an HIV/AIDS activist & humanitarian HIV-positive since birth, as well as several respected local community, political, heath, religious and HIV/AIDS leaders, who will explore the issues around HIV/AIDS and the African American community during the town hall.
Currently African Americans account for 44% of all people with HIV/AIDS in the United States, yet only account for 12% of the population. Latinos account for 21% of all new HIV infections nationwide, yet only represent 16% of the U.S. population.
Disproportionately high numbers of HIV/AIDS cases among communities of color may be caused by several factors, including:
Lack of access to clinics for care and HIV testing. High levels of stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS in these communities prevent people from learning their HIV status, or from seeking care and speaking honestly with their partners if they know they are positive. Both society and the healthcare industry have marginalized members of these communities both on account of sexual orientation and race, blocking essential treatment, care, and education for those who need it. “Through our ‘AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue’ campaign and this Evening of Action in Fort Lauderdale, we hope to open a dialogue with stakeholders in the community, the public health arena, and faith-based groups as well as public officials about health disparities and the importance of universal access to HIV prevention and care and treatment,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation in a statement. “We are honored to have Reverend Sharpton and our esteemed partners lend their voices to this important cause and discussion.”
“African Americans continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS. As we pray for the eradication of this pandemic, the Black Church must continue to lead the work to ensure that access to HIV prevention, care, and treatment for HIV/AIDS is universal,” said Dr. Marcus Davidson, Senior Pastor of the New Mount Olive Baptist Church.
“If we continue to be silent about HIV and AIDS, it will continue to kill the people that we love,” said Rosalind Osgood, MPA, M. Div. DPA, President/CEO Mount Olive Development Corporation. “I am committed to being the voice for those that are infected or affected by this horrible pandemic. We must ensure that access to health care and housing is afforded to all African Americans and Latinos who are positive.”
AHF’s ‘AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue’ Billboard Campaign Running Now in Atlanta; Washington, DC; Columbus, OH; Baton Rouge, LA; Jackson, MS; South Florida and Los Angeles
Over the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday weekend in January, AHF launched its innovative national ‘AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue’ billboard campaign. AHF’s billboards are intended to serve as a reminder of the fact that African American and Latino communities continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS compared with their respective percentages of the overall population. The campaign also hopes to send the message that access to HIV prevention and care and treatment for HIV/AIDS should be a universal human right. The billboard campaign is running now in Atlanta; Washington, DC; Columbus, Ohio; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; South Florida and in Los Angeles. In most of the cities, the campaign will also be posted as transit shelter ads.
AIDS Is A Civil Rights Issue!
Please join us and a multitude of faith-based communities in illuminating and fighting the persisting bias against communities of color as we collectively strive to lower the incidence of HIV/AIDS, and together we can ensure all communities have equal access to the tools we need in this fight.
About AIDS Healthcare Foundation
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 300,000 individuals in 32 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available:http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140421005973/en/
CONTACT: AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Local Fort Lauderdale Media Contact:
Samantha Granberry,Senior Dir. of AHF Worldwide
+1.323.243.2794 mobile
Samantha.granberry@aidshealth.org
or
L.A. Contacts:
Ged Kenslea, Senior Director, Communications, AHF
+1.323.791.5526 mobile
ged.kenslea@aidshealth.org
or
Kyveli Diener, Communications Coordinator
+1.323.960.4846 w
310.779.4796 mobile
kyveli.diener@aidshealth.org
KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA FLORIDA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: RELIGION HEALTH AIDS INFECTIOUS DISEASES PHILANTHROPY CONSUMER AFRICAN-AMERICAN FOUNDATION
SOURCE: AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Copyright Business Wire 2014
PUB: 04/21/2014 06:41 PM/DISC: 04/21/2014 06:41 PM
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