Everyone has to take responsibility of their own selves when it comes to AIDS or any other sexually transmitted disease. You can’t rely on anyone else! So stop blaming others and point the finger where it belongs…at ones own self.

Cindy…Ga.

Point the finger squarely at the brothas on the down-low.

Aids in black america isn’t a racial issue, it’s a cultural issue. Nothing about ones race has an impact on aids. If you don’t want to get aids, take all necessary precautions, up to and including abstinence if need be. And don’t try to play this off as the government being racist either. White people are at least five times more likely to develop skin cancer than non-white people. Where’s the government aid to their beloved white people with skin cancer? Same place as your aids aid, no where. 8,000 people die every year from melanoma in the united states (almost all white), and 14,000 people die every year from aids in the united states, so neither one is a disease that should be taken lightly.

Very true.. Everything starts with self accountability.. But if no kidnapping would have happened, we wouldnt be having this conversation.. and as far as AIDS in Africa.. do some research and not be so gullible, check when this BS govt started it in NY..yea NY!

uhhhhh….okay.

how ’bout

1. Better parenting. Actually scratch that. ANY parenting…(ie- BOTH parents).
2. Use a condom (they can be had for free at clinics).
3. Stop sticking dirty needles in your arm.

HELLO?

It’s really NOT that hard to prevent contracting the disease.

What are we supposed to do? Assign a social worker to EVERY SINGLE lower class Black American and have them follow that person around 24/7 and babysit them ?????????????

Highest STD rates in the US? Highest unwed mother rate in the US?
Gee Rev. Wright how will you blame whites for this? After all they control condoms and no one can use them without their permission.

Absolutely right. We spend millions of dollars in international aid while we neglect people at home. The same could be said for all the homeless Vietnam veterans. Over 90% of the homeless population are veterans. How are we serving our own country? We are in debt up to our eyeballs and sending money overseas.

AIDS epidemic demonstrates the need for restraint. If you maintain monogamous relationships, AIDS is never a factor in your life. It’s time to wake up. Sleeping around is not just low class, it’s downright dangerous now.

We live in America where access to free condoms are so prevalent and education is freely available. This is not the case in Africa and many of those countries are too poor to even have adequate food much less access to condoms so of course we should help them out. The problem with people in America is we all expect a handout. No wonder Oprah opened up a school in Africa - they truly appreciated the gesture while here we EXPECT it. How sad is that? The black community needs to take it’s own responsibility with all these sexual issues - AIDS and single parent homes. We’re not denying you access to condoms - it’s your choice to use them.

You are a brave amazing woman Pernessa. Thank you for choosing compassion over intolerance. I hope that many, many people–myself and my community included–follow your lead!

Mike, you’re not being real. You need to point the finger at the brothers who can’t keep it in their pants for five minutes (straight and gay), and the ladies for putting up with them. Personal responsibility folks! And I’m a black woman saying this.

It is the ignorance of people like Mike who continue to hold onto the notion that HIV/AIDS is a gay disease. To him I say get over it, it has nothing to do with being down-low but everything to do with responsibility on the part of both participating parties.

The information on how to prevent AIDS has been available for a very long time. Advertising prevention is on TV and in schools and in almost every doctor’s office. The government has done their job in the US. The public is informed. They can not force you to use a clean needle for drugs or wear a condom or stop indiscriminate sex. As a tax payer I am tried of paying for treatment of a disease that is totally preventable.

That’s funny because in San Francisco and Seattle and Portland, Or 65% of people with HIV are white? I guess the stats only matter if the help the black community.

Once again the bush administration shows it’s true colors. What if this epidemic was striking CEOs or wealthy white men? There would be panic in the streets and action from the white house faster than one can imagine. This administration cares NOTHING about people of color especially if they contract a disease deemed distasteful to w’s “bible beating” sensibilities. He thinks that they deserve what they get. Sad.

So who, if anyone, is surprised at this statistic? In Africa I’d chalk it up to ignorance and lack of protection. In the US it’s pure stupidity.

Regardless of who you would blame it is a disease that will spread and it must be aggressively treated and contained. Taking personal responsibility yes is part of the plan of action. But, we must make our own citizens a top priority.

This article is not about pointing fingers at the causes of AIDS in Black America. Or blaming others. The article is about the inadequate response to AIDS in America. Specifically the inadequate response to AIDS in Black America. It’s about taking responsibility for our own citizens.

It asks a very good question: why do we shovel cash and other aid to African countries to fight and treat AIDS, yet we spend so little to fight and treat AIDS in our own communities? AIDS has a significant economic toll at home and has the potential to create instability much as it does abroad.

And surely some of those that suffer from AIDS in Africa acquired it in some of the same ways as those suffering from AIDS in the US. So don’t take up the “cause” argument.

Think about the response.

As with anything else, PEOPLE, not just black people, need to be accountable for their actions. There is no lack of education that is causing this AIDS epidemic. Maybe years ago, but no longer. Although they continue to run programming that promotes promiscuity and low values on a daily basis, even some of the most popular “Urban” music video programs and stations have gone out of their way to run ad campaigns regarding AIDS and other STDs directed squarely at the young black audience. People have to make better decisions regarding who (and how many) they choose to be with, and how they protect themselves when they are with someone. There are very few people today at even the younger ages, who do not know what AIDS is, and that it can be deadly. The epidemic will continue as long as people refuse to take responsibility and make better choices.

The majority of AIDS patients catch this disease by sexual transmission or by the use of shared drug needles. The number of “innocent” victims being infected by blood transfusions or other legitimate medical procedures is very small. So why is it when the black community has a problem (large number of single parent families, lower percentage of married black women than white married women, ad infintum) it is always because of “white” America? It would seem that black America is bringing this disease upon itself.

“Black” America needs to look squarely at itself, its glorification of poor role models (ex. rappers), its failure to hold its male population responsible for the children they bring into this world, its disproportionate percentage of this country’s prison population, and on and on and on. “B;ack” America needs to step up and take control of its problem. Medical care after the fact is of course critical, but equally important are efforts to prevent continued high infection rates. The black community has failed and continues to fail in this respect. Stop blaming others for what has become a continual series of missteps and failures in your own communities.

I know you wrote from the heart Anderson, and you’re right, the Cavalry ain’t coming. The messages to help stop it, have to be bigger, which means the life rewards, whatever they may be, have to be recognized as greater. I know. More idealistic stuff. Forgive me.

Black America, take responsibility for your own actions. It’s way past time. The past is the past, and cannot be changed. You can either get over it or use it as an excuse, which becomes less and less crdible every day.

-Wear a condom.
-Stop having sex with everything that moves.
-Take responsibilty for your actions.

One problem is that you can’t talk about AIDS in church because many people who go are uncomfortable talking about sex, even though most of them engage in it. There is truth that you do have to take responsibility for your protection, but it also seems that Blacks were targeted with this disease. If you think about it, it’s the most effective form of population control that you could inject into a community.

Men on the “down low” must account for a large part of the spread of the disease. They are being locked up for long periods of time, denied either female company, or condoms, having sex with men, then going back into the community at large having sex with women. Who in turn have sex with other men , who have sex with other women.

If we don’t do something soon, there will not any Blacks who forefathers were slaves here. Which may be the point. Why not get rid of Blacks who always remind whites of their dirty past, and import some Black who only know that whites are good.

I was in a discussion about race with some Africans, and they said that they had no problems with whites, that their hatred was directed at others Black tribes. Seems that Blacks hating each other is worldwide. How sad.

It’s one thing to be uneducated, and unaware of this horrific disease, and then contract it. It’s another thing, when the word AIDS, has been yelled from the rooftops, all accross this nation, for decades, yet folks continue to bow to the heat of the moment, rather than the small voice telling them ” this could be risky activity”. Pernessa, I give you great credit for acting on behalf of the black community, to try to make a diffrence. In the end, after all the education, informationals, speeches, etc., it comes down to individual choices, in all we do. Ultimately, as you well know, we will suffer, or reap the benefits of our decisions.
As you seem to say, the U.S. is a very generous country ,and In my opinion more blame should be placed at the feet of the wreckless.

J in GA wrote:

“It is the ignorance of people like Mike who continue to hold onto the notion that HIV/AIDS is a gay disease.”

Lefties seem to be having a love affair with the word “ignorance.”

Please see “The Threat of a Global AIDS Epidemic is Over, Say Experts,” Mail Online, June 9th 2008.

Excerpt:

“Rather than being a risk to populations anywhere, the threat in developed countries is largely confined to gay men, drug addicts and prostitutes and their clients…. large-scale heterosexual spread was unlikely to occur anywhere outside sub-Saharan Africa…”

Truth — a cure for ”ignorance.”

AIDS in the Black community? Must be racism!
Personal responsibility is an out-dated idea.
Why is the government letting this happen?
Good damn America!

I agree with the second to last sentence. Yes, you must depend on yourself. You must depend on yourself not to have unprotected sex or use used hypodermic needles (illegal drug users). AIDS is about prevention until a cure is found. Why are people catching it and spreading it? Because they don’t care. They think having sex is more important than being safe about it. So, depend on yourself to be responsible for yourself.

AIDs is a disease that can be avoided be conducting yourself in a responsible manner. Certianly there are cases from tainted blood transfusions but they must be a small part of the infected population. My wife and I are very good friends with a black couple and celebrated their 25th anniversary together. I am pretty sure that they are very unlikely to get the disease.

G. Penley- I almost agree with you. Black Americans today are not taking full advantage of the opportunities that are there for us. However, you must realize that we are not simply talking about the past. There are still many systematic, and institutional roadblocks faced by blacks today that were put in place during the same past that you would like us to forget about. Still, in all, it is unfortunately true that many of us, especially our youth, are not taking advantage of the opportunities that are available, and are not fighting hard enough to break through the obstacles that exist.

I think a more interesting study would to find out the demographics of the readers of this article. I would bet that the vast majority reading this article would be educated white people. The main problem is not that AIDS is growing among black Americans, it is the correlation between low education levels and increased disease contractions. The vast majority of people that this article is about (black people with AIDS) will never, or can’t even, read it. That is the real tragedy.

The Calvary has never been there to help black people with any issue ask any American Indian. The church is failing every Black American today period that is how things got this bad. If you cannot reach out to your people every Sunday to save their lives, what good are you? The ANSWER is none. We need community-based leadership that will talk straight to our young people. Sex is a fact and we need to face that fact with education that is based homes and our schools. Every young black woman needs to be educated on birth control and given enough self-respect say no to a man (Black or White) who does not want to use a condom. If we start there, it does not mater how many black men are on the Down Low. As a black man now in his late 30’s it troubles me that we have failed our young women and thus failed our young men too. Ignorant young women make ignorant mothers, who raise ignorant sons who make for ignorant fathers, who create needy young girls… this cycle will destroy us. We can stop this…. We can save our people by saving our young women and break this cycle of evil.

The Math is simple. Man uses condom, HIV transmission rate to partner is 30%, no condom HIV transmission rate jumps to 75%.

The Message is simple: To every Black Man in America use a condom if you love the young woman you are having sex with. If you do not love her, love yourself enough to use a condom.

To the Black Churches of America: Get a clue and stop building Mega Churches and get those people on the streets helping our people every Sunday. Let us rebuild our community starting with the education our young black people and save there lives. They are our future. Old people praying for answers is no answer to our problems. This is our call to arms to save our people. Our time is now…

Of course once again the government and current administration is scapegoated for a problem they have absolutely no control over. Playing the “victim of the government” card because you have an AIDS epidemic in your community is one of the most absurd ideas I’ve heard in a while. I’m just glad that the majority of the people posting here realize that it’s a complete lack of personal responsibility followed up by bad decision making that’s causing this epidemic, not a lack of government cash. It is not the government’s job to bail it’s citizens out every time they make a horribly poor decision.

I ask you this: What could more government money possibly do to help the situation here at home? It’s not like people aren’t educated about AIDS in this country. It’s quite easy to prevent and if you follow a few simple rules you can almost be guaranteed to never get it.

The sense of entitlement in this country is downright disgusting. I just wanted to post because the majority of the comments in here actually showed me that there might still be a glimmer of hope for this country. As for the rest of you, stop blaming everyone and everything but yourselves and grow up.

Why should the calvary come? This is a self inflicted problem, just like the 50% high school dropout rate and 70% illigitimacy rate in the black community. If I set my house on fire, why should I expect the fire department to save it? Clean up your own act before you ask for someone else to do it for you.

I think making an AIDS test part of any normal bloodwork done at the doctors office or hospital is a start. I think we need to drop some of the sensitivity of this subject and start getting tough with people who refuse to cut back on the at risk behaviors.

This is to the 2 black junkies who robbed me and my girlfriend at gunpoint while we just strolling along a quiet tree lined street with the full moon casting a romantic evening down on us. Not sure how much drugs can be bought with 125.00 dollars and a womens gold bracelet, but I hope you bought a diseaesed syringe and are suffering terribly now.
Put that in your statistics and smoke it.

AIDS is not a disease of blacks or homosexuals. It is a disease of all mankind. I applaud the leadership role the black church is taking in combating this devastating disease but people still need to listen and act. For some 27 years we’ve known that the only cure is prevention. This requires individual responsibility and a rejection of careless behavior.

As an AA female, I do not NEED the government or anyone else to TELL me what is out there..I find out for myself..I read articles, I watch the news and I was raised to have more self-respect than to lay up with anyone without taking ALL necessary precautions…sadly not everyone has taken the time to find out, were not raised to take care of themselves or they just don’t care that they are spreading STDS(not just AIDS) around…and yes, you do have some infected people who KNOWINGLY engage in unsafe sex..that is why it is PARAMOUNT that you be responsible for YOURSELF…..

A Luck, blacks that contract AIDS are not all “lower class”..that was a dumb statement

“There is truth that you do have to take responsibility for your protection, but it also seems that Blacks were targeted with this disease”.

@ DC in Mpls what a conspiracy theory! HIV started out in the homosexual community and spread into the heterosexual community. It’s by our own ignorance in the beginning that it spread but now it’s our own stupidity for not taking precautions in catching it. The government is not forcing blacks to have unprotected sex or to use intravenous drugs - take responsibilty for your own actions!

As a black person living with HIV, I can say that the response to the epidemic in America, primarily the black community, is abysmal at best.

Our community is so influenced by religious doctrine (even those people that don’t attend church are affected by it) that this influence has driven many with the virus into silence, suffering with shame, and guilt over what many in the religious community call a just plague by god to punish homosexuals, and promiscuous people.

I contracted the virus in what I thought was a monogamous relationship. It may have been, but there is basically no support system in the black community, primarily mental health care support, after all this time.

I have to work tired, exhausted at times, because I am afraid to lose my insurance. I know people who get the government care, and they are treated like animals! It is shameful! I will work until I die before I lose my coverage and suffer the indignity these people go through. That, coupled with the shame, guilt and silent suffering of this disease is just too much.

I feel betrayed by my community at times. I feel betrayed by our religious leaders that did nothing, and by our politicians that have failed to give black Americans, the same care and resources that we send to foreign countries…Oh well, what is new about being black in this country?

AIDS is color blind. There also are more unwed mothers in the black community, and more fathers not paying child support. It’s no secret what Aids is, nor how to prevent it.

My only conclusion is it’s cultural, it’s how black families raise their children. If Aids thrives in this envirorment, then like every other evolutionary stage, people will perish or wise up.

Once we learned not to place human waste in the street - may now we need to learn how to take responsibility for our sex lives.

In Africa wa can blame deaths on the Pope.

Bravo to ‘Kevin in Dallas’ his comment was spot on…

“Aids in black america isn’t a racial issue, it’s a cultural issue. Nothing about ones race has an impact on aids.”

If the statistics disturb the African American comunity so much, have the determination do something about it. The government wouldn’t have to step in, if we put into pratice what we are educated about… have safe sex. Don’t disregard the teaching and expect the governement to drop everything to fix the problems that are preventable…

Its a tragety, but at least for us in America we are educated on HIV/AIDS and have the resources to take proper precautions. Not so much the case in places in Africa… Black Americans should be determinded to curve this statistic, white American’s should stand right along side them.. It’s not just a ‘black’ problem… we shouldn’t divide the human race with ‘racial statistics’.

All of this data will be skewed if obama becomes president. himself, his family and all the white house staff he will bring to DC will increase the number of employeed black men and women in DC and those without HIV/AIDS so you won’t rank like an african country anymore.

Let us not forget the is an “Aquired” disease. For the most part one must do something that include risks to get it. If it is on the rise then it is because people are taking (accepting) these risks. This is not a disease that strikes randomly but is spread through specfic activities. If you are going to call it a “Black” disease then you are also saying “Blacks” are not taking the responsibility to protect themselves. Responsibility is the key. Protect yourselves and others.

i wish more white Americans were educated. these responses disgust me and should embarrass you. Pernessa, I agree whole heartedly with your assessment….we must stand as a united front to cure the ills within our community. I am preparing myself even now for battle.

Other than collecting donations, making speeches, and praying for HIV/AIDS to go away, what practical projects is The Balm In Gilead engaged in to improve the neglected black community in Richmond? I live in Richmond, Va and have never heard of you or your organization. I have, however; heard of many Richmond area free clinics and health departments that distribute free HIV/AIDS literature, free condoms, and free health screenings.

I’m not at all surprised that the HIV/AIDS rate is higher in the black population, and that’s not a cultural statement. I believe that in large part it’s due to genetics.

Several years ago, it was discovered that the Delta 32 gene mutation prevents the contraction of HIV. The mutation is found in 10% of people of European descent and 2% in central Asians. The mutation simply does not exist among Africans, East Asians and American Indians.

Yes, it would be nice if no one in the world was having sex outside of marriage. But that’s not going to happen. Since there is no natural protection, these groups must be more vigilent about using protection.

Actually, Kevin in Dallas, a report issued in the past few weeks found that a genetic trait common in 40% of American blacks and something like 80% of African blacks does lead to a higher contraction rate of HIV. This gene, which protects them from contracting malaria, also make them more susceptible to HIV.

So, yeah, there is a genetic difference.

This fight goes beyound personal responsibility… We need to bring our people along kicking and screaming. Just looking out for number one is why we have fallen victim to this. Get your boys to wear a condom, ladies get your girls to make their man to wear one. We have to save as many of us as we can before we vanish as people. We are fighting for our future… We must educate to survive.

One more thing…The brothers on “down-low” aren’t responsible for this alone! That is the sort of ignorant thinking that permeates the black community…urban legends!

Right now, more than 2/3 of women contracting this illness are black women. They are contracting this through heterosexual sex, from heterosexual men. The church and the media has helped to engrain the ignorance of this disease, by making it a “gay” disease, that thinking, in great part, is the thinking that has helped perpetuate genocide in this country! The thinking that a sexually transmitted disease can be contained to one group, one race, one type of person.

People are having sex. Until we, in the black community, take responsibility for the truth (give condoms to our youth and talk to them about sex before puberty; advocate condoms in prisons; stop villifying gay and lesbian brothers and sisters; have frank conversations about sex in schools, colleges, and churches) we will never get a hold of this epidemic. We need to understand the truth, that a person’s morality should not be tied to what they do in the bedroom. It is a slave mentality, and the church should get in the business of protecting life, not using god to support the destruction of it. Any life, any type of person, should be valued. No blame should be put on anyone at this point, we need to come together!

I would love to know what, if any PSA’s are airing on the music TV stations such as BET, MTV, etc…that try and educate the so called `uneducated’ black viewers to do the right thing. And so what that Obama and Bill Cosby preach `down’ to the black people. It’s the attitude of the Rev. Al’s, Rev. Jesse’s, Rev. Wright’s that put the denail thoughts into their followers minds. I have never heard the 3 ever preach responsibility to your kids and to your community. Maybe they have, but it’s a shame that they can accuse others of preaching down to the blacks when it’s quit obvious a lot of productive and responsible preaching needs to be done. At first I was dead set against Obama for President. But now, i think he is the right person for President. And maybe, just maybe, Obama will have a positive effect on some of the irresponsible behavior amongst the blacks. That goes for all others as well. I don’t know…it’s just a thought.

I think that the point of this article was supposed to be more towards how the United States is not helping our own, but in MY opinion all these articles seem to do is stir up controversy. Yes, AIDS is a terrible disease, but this is why we still have issues about Black America and White America.

It’s interesting that the aids article is full of numbers and statistics but does not mention anything about “how” the disease is being contracted. What percentage is from unprotected sex, drug use, blood transfusions, etc? No one wants to talk about root cause, especially in the black community, because it doesn’t make them look good. And when a black man stands up to point this out he’s labeled an “Uncle Tom”. A traitor to his people. I think the responses to this article are pretty much one sided about taking responsibility. Funny how the writer of the article couldn’t mention that. Looks like typical one sided journalism.

Seriously?
Education is a huge thing with AIDS in Africa. Education, birth control, knowledge about the disease…those were needed in Africa because they did not exist.
We have had education about AIDS since the 80’s in the United States. It is not the governments fault that Black America is continuing with behaviors that knowingly contract AIDS. Whites are as well.
You want tested, do it the same way whites do…walk into a clinic. There should not be any special priviledges one way or the other.

Even our worst conditions in the U.S. are better than the norm for many people throughout the world. What we need is available, we just have to be willing to work for what we need and work even harder for what we want. Teach the kids to work, think, respect themselves and drop unneccesary pride and they will be fine.

There is no calvary. Realizing this is the first step to personal responsibility.

Well, i’ve never read so many misinformed statements in my life. Pick up a women’s magazine and you will read stories about women who are/were in monogamous relationship who contracted HIV. MARRIED people are giving it to their partners as well. In fact, Glamour magazine did a wonderful story on HIV and there was a WHITE woman whose ex- HUSBAND gave it to her and she was not alone (i cannot tell you the issue month at the moment, google it.) So it’s not a lack of monogamy that’s causing the spread. One could be in a monogamous relationship and be with someone who loves them, but if that person is not aware that they have the disease and they spread it to their partner, doesn’t that completely eviscerate most of the theories that some of you are selling? I think most people forget to have the STD/HIV conversation before they have sex or don’t know how to bring it up before hand. People need to be forthcoming with their STD/HIV testing history BEFORE they become intimate.. condoms can only do so much. Use condoms BUT COMMUNICATION is the first step, followed by going with your partner to get TESTED at 3 months and then at 6 months, it’s free in a lot of places, and then exchanging the results. The communication lines have to remain open along with the accountability and responsibility.

@ Courtney I’m not white so don’t assume all the posters who are telling the black community to take responsibility are white and why should these “white posters” be embarrassed? Because they are asking tor the black community to be responsible they should be embarrassed? I’d send my money over to Africa any day then to help the ingrates here.

Not to be a geek…but I’m not sure where they are getting their numbers. They say that Aids is a top killer of African American women between 24 and 35 but I went to the CDC website and their stats say that there are only between 4000 and 5000 African American women IN TOTAL LIVING with HIV/Aids currently in the US. What gives?

As a black woman, I am smart enough to know (because I read) that Africans NEED the financial support to help fight the disease there - they are starving and therefore offering their bodies without easy access to condoms to protect themselves. They also have not had anywhere near the amount of HIV/AIDS education that Americans have had. That is why they need the financial support.

Now, let’s look at America where we have pored over HIV/AIDs until we have become blue in the face. Enough education and condoms and clean needles have been provided to substantially decrease the effects of this disease. This is not genetic diabetes or cancer which afflicts people out of the blue (even though diet, exercise, and not smoking helps prevent these things sometimes). This is a disease obtained STRICTLY by poor behavior. BLACK PEOPLE, you have a CHOICE. Just like we have a choice with the drugs some people ignorantly believe are dropped into our community. Last time I checked, no one made you put that needle in your arm. No one made you engage in unprotected activity that leads us over and over again into the bottomless pit of economic and social dispair. It’s a cycle I don’t think will end in my lifetime because black people want to blame everyone except themselves. How sick. Stop getting pregnant (and thus making yourself vulnerable to catch HIV) and having babies in single parent households so you AND your HUSBAND can teach your children to love themselves enough to treat their bodies like temples. Also, teach your children to work for what they have instead of taking from others so you don’t wind up in prison and contracting HIV. Also, teach your children that life is precious and you have no right to put your hands on anyone else or take their life so you (again) won’t wind up in prison…..get the picture?….see the cycles?….ALL ABOUT CHOICES AND CULPABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY

Really easy huh? If you are single and female it is almost impossible to convince men to wear condoms. Most men are in DENIAL. I have chosen abstinence. I am white and heterosexual, but that makes absolutely no difference to the AIDS virus.

There is a general indifference to AIDS in America. THIS IS NOT A GAY DISEASE.

I would like to add that women over the age of 50 is one of the fastest growing segments of HIV infections. This age group (I am 49) is in great denial. Viagra encourages a high sex drive with no mention of condoms or HIV. Viva La HIV

In response to Neil who wrote: “Once again the bush administration shows it’s true colors. What if this epidemic was striking CEOs or wealthy white men? There would be panic in the streets and action from the white house faster than one can imagine. This administration cares NOTHING about people of color especially if they contract a disease deemed distasteful to w’s “bible beating” sensibilities. He thinks that they deserve what they get. Sad.

Neil…this has absolutely nothing to do with the Bush administration …however, it has everything to do with taking responsibility for one’s own actions. You seem completely ignorant. Don’t you find it interesting that this article leaves out how most of these people contracted AIDS in the first place…. Get a clue and stop looking for handouts from the government…it is NOT the government’s fault that some people CHOOSE to be unsafe! If you CHOOSE to be unsafe, you deserve the consequences! Responsibility lies within!

The information is there. The word is out on HIV/ AIDS. The problem is people do not heed it. Everyone wants privacy in their actions, but often the consequences are public. And please do not try to put this one on the black church. At some point people have to be responsible for themselves. It is your body, your health, your life.

kudo’s Mike from nyc for your comment. “Point the finger squarely at the brothas on the down-low”.

North Carolina did a study PROVING the connections between incarcerated men with HIV being released into the community, and the direct correlation to new HIV cases in heterosexual women in the areas where the inmates were released to. The numbers tell everything. Wake up America, and fund more of these studies in more states, and get the dollars allocated to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. We are losing black men at an alarming rate, and now young black women are also being lost in this vicious cycle. In the black community HIV seems to have become the new ‘crack’ - Wiping out black people while the nation turns a blind eye. Shameful!

I didn’t read through all the comments so maybe this point has been made. But it is possible to end the spread of aids. It’s not like people get this from blood transfusions anymore. As a white American, I would be ashamed to call this a “white” disease if the numbers were flipped. This is spread through unprotected sex and IV drug use. This isn’t a problem with America. This is a problem with those individuals and the poor choices that they made. For those that were born with this terrible disease they have my utmost sympathy for having to deal with something they in no way chose or deserve. But for the most part this a disease brought upon yourself.

Let’s stop lecturing people to be more responsible, etc. Really, would that change your own behavior? We need a strong public education campaign, like the “stop smoking” campaign. And I know that HIV/AIDS is no longer a “gay” disease, but I’d bet man-to-man sex still plays a large role in transmission. Even in 2008, when two men have sex they are labeled “effeminate.” And in the Black or Latino communities (or on the football field or in the White House) it’s still driven underground. To fix this problem we need to educate AND tell people that what they do privately is OK so that they’ll be open to the message they need to hear. Hang in there, Duane.

The trouble with HIV/AIDS prevention programs is that they are aimed too much at gays. This is not to belittle the HIV prevention programs for gays but in concentrating the efforts to one particular group has allowed the HIV problem among blacks to be overlooked. When the leading cause of deaths among black women ages 25-34 is AIDS then it is imperative that more attention needs to be focused on the problem.
While there are societal and personal behaviors that partially explain HIV infection rate the holier than thou people are missing the point. All groups of people engage in risky behaviors, the transmittance of the disease can progress from one group to another in the right circumstances which are usually unpredictable. Therefore the only sane action is to directly address the current problem and marshall resources against to prevent further spread and decrease the infection rates among affected groups. Both gays and blacks need to be targeted with HIV prevention and HIV treatment to stop the scourage from spreading.

Hum! Nineteen years that Balm In Gilead has been providing training and capacity development to our faith leaders? Where in what state, city or town, or is it just the East Coast. I too have not been familiarized with this entity or heard of this organization. But before I go on Kevin In Dallas noted that precautions must be taken to prevent the continued spread of this disease, education, abstinence, and initiatives that fund more money in this country and the communities hit hardest by this disease is certainly necessary. But Kevin needs to understand also that there are necessary precautions to prevent Melanoma as well. Practicing not lying out stretched out for hours on tanning beds, wearing clothing that protects one from the harmful rays of the sun, to not directly bake in the Sun without utilizing or exercising care to prevent this horrible skin disease. So the point here is as a country and as citizens we as a people have to speak up more to our leaders in getting them to understand that charity starts at home. This disease is affecting the entire core of our existence as a nation. There is a trickle down affect of this disease that will decimate not just one ethnic group but spread it’s way throughout our great nation.

Yes AIDS/HIV rate is terrible in the United States, however we as African -Americans need to take some of this responsibility upon ourselves. Stop having UNPROTECTED SEX with every John, Tom and Larry and stop using drugs!

Wake up folks!

Lisa

Why were the last two paragraphs of this article even included? What does racism from decades ago have to do with getting medical help now? Black America no longer has to ‘wait’ for medical care. Black America can get medical care just as easily as anyone else in America. This article is blaming “racist right wing white America” for the AIDs problem. Ridiculous. Strap one on.

Dear John …

White folks steal, too. White folks stole my Grandma! (my Grandpa … uncles … aunts … and cousins … for that matter.)

I agree with Laura: “AIDS in Black America isn’t a racial issue…” Race doesn’t have a damn thing to do with it!

I lost my youngest brother to AIDS, in March, and the fact that he was Black didn’t have a damn thing to do with it. The fact that he was ’stupid’ and made the decision to not use a condom … was.

Blaming does not help. Accepting responsibility only works if you have something to take responsibility for. Most Black women get HIV from their male partners who are on the down low and not being honest. So, what do they take responsilibilty for? Choosing a man who is not honest? The only thing I would tell women (all women) NEVER EVER have unprotected sex even if its with your husband or long time boyfriend.

Come to think of it…all of the stats they are quoting are very missleading. The CDC estimates that there have been roughly 400,000 total aids cases that fall underneath the “Black, non-hispanic” category since the beginning of the epidemic through 2006. This isn’t aids deaths - this is just aids cases. If there are roughly 38 million African Americans in the US then this epidemic is only affecting roughly 1% of the African American population. I got all this data from the CDC website and the US Census website.

If this is true then total aids deaths is much lower than 1%. Am I wrong?

As always ignroance in blogs abounds. I love the comments about how black america needs to get it’s act to gether and other racialy tinged comments pointing the finger as if premisuity lives only in the black community. When you think an issue doesn’t effect you it’s so easy to point the finger and say “those people are just being (you fill in the blank). Granted AIDS is a preventable disease and everyone needs to do thier part. But the information issn’t getting out there as it should to all communities. AIDS is an issue for EVERYONE…have we not learned anything from the early days of AIDS when at first it was just written off as a gay disease? Now it’s just a black issue? Black Americans are not doing anything different that white America isn’t doing. Taking the “it’s not my issue” or ” it dosn’t effect me” stance, isn’t going to work anymore. Information on Sex and sexual diseases in general really isn’t hitting mainstream the way it should. You can go into any highschool in American and teenagers still are not informed. Herpes and clamidiya is the number one disease for white America but you still don’t hear about it. America in general is too conservative on the issue of sex. And it’s killing us ALL. Information is limted in our schools and parents aren’t talking about it. Churches aren’t talking about it. Everyone is ignorant. Just last month we had almost 20 highschool suburban girls getting pregnant…just because. They chose not to where a condom risking getting a disease for the same reason a girl in the the inner city chose not to use protection.

When is it time for the blacks to take responsibility on for themselves. Maybe if they did alot less whining and alot less blaming a past that most of them never participated in, they might move foward. my ancestors came here also and they had it very hard and today I am still working my but off just to try and stay afloat. So why are blacks any different then me. I didn’t whine, I did.

I think there is a feeling here in the US that education is all around you. We have libraries that are free, newspapers that are free, free tv. You don’t have to go to the best schools - just pick up a newspaper or turn on the nightly news. The article would have been much more insightful if Ms. Seele would’ve presented some stats around how much gov’t funding goes to education initiatives and community awareness in the US versus the dollars the gov’t sends overseas to educate. Without this insight, the article just takes on an air of “one more black person blaming the government for the ills of the black community”. We need to get away from this type of communication - it is very ineffective. If you have a point, make it resound. Numbers tell a good story.

Gee, 1 in 2 black Americans? How about white Americans? Or Hispanic Americans?
Comes down to PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY.

While the crisis is real, it is not necessarily a racial crisis. There is no reason to believe that any there is any genetic link to AIDS. HIV/AIDS is not so much a black disease as it is a moral disease.

Now that the transmission of HIV viruses via blood transfusions has been minimized, HIV/AIDS is transmitted primarily by dirty needles of drug users and by promiscuous sex. If we were to return to stable monogamous relationships, we could cut HiV/AIDS by more than 80% because monogamous couples do not pass the disease on to other sex partners. Safe sex, to the extent it is practiced, will also help.

Yes, a government program would be nice, but the primary responsibility for fighting HIV/AIDS is ours.

We need big govenment to get involved. Not because it will help solve the problem but it will make naive elites feel good.

I suppose this is the white man’s fault as well.

I prefer a lecture on responsibility over a treatise on the embracement of the “I am a victim” mind set. We are all victims. We are the United States of Victimization. We would all be free if it not be for that person or group that insist upon victimizing us. Viva la Victim!

The problem with AIDS is that in the beginning. it was labelled a Gay disease. Then the Gay Community took control of the disease and made it a political issue. They lobbied for all these laws that provide secrecy for the victims because of the stigma attatched to it. Then the African American Churches, who abhor homosexuality, stigmatized it further by refusing funerals and declaring Gay members as outcasts. Because of the privacy issue you cannot test for the disease unless the patient agrees people are afraid to get treated or tested brcause of the stigma. We have to conbat ignorance fear and forget the conspiracy theories. An AIDS test which is painless should a part of everyone’s healthcare profile. When the Doctor draws blood to test for high cholesterol, diabetes and kidney disease, let her test for AIds at the same time.

Sometimes I just have to scratch my head. Who amongst us in America does not know how to prevent contracting HIV? It is PAST TIME to STOP LOOKING for people to help you out of your mess, BLACK FOLK! Whatever happened to accountability? I am so tired of reading about black people leading the nation in all of the bad statistics. Are we as a people ever going to rise above?

Please let’s stay demanding more of ourselves and our children. You know how to prevent the spread of HIV — and you do not need help from the government to do it.

And stop blaming others for your being ashamed of having contracted HIV. Maybe the same is coming from someplace within. I

“At this critical moment in Black America and in public health history regarding HIV/AIDS, I invite all church leaders and members to re-dedicate themselves to the role of “leader” and seek God’s guidance…”

Okay, first I apologize in advance for cutting this quote off short as it does change your intended meaning when I leave off the end, but this section of it I think says it all. In other countries 90% of the problem is a lack of education, in the US every third grader knows what AIDS/HIV is, how you contract it, and how to avoid getting it. Our issue isn’t one that throwing money at will have any effect on, but if our kids have good role models in their parents and an active church life it will have more effect on the problem than all the money in the world.

@ John and everybody else who keeps linking Jesse Jackson to Al Sharpton please STOP!!!!!!!! They are TWO different people and Rev Al has talked about fathers being absent because he to grew up without a father so please talk with you know. Rev Al has also discussed AIDS/HIV many times on his radio show so again stick to what you know about. I pray we educate or children. I live in Atlanta and the down low brothas are alive in well. In the end its up to women to protect themselves and get tested reg. with their partners.

It seems like there is a consensus with the readers on the primary reason HIV and AIDS are so prevalent in the black community. THE HAMMER IS DROPPING and its falling right on a FAILING CULTURE driven by black leaders that have failed their population. If America’s black community wants to change the perception of what most of the world has towards them, they should start by excepting its their fault and not anyone else’s. I’m tired of excuses and poor attempts at blame shifting. MLK would have been the first to point this out.

Allaya,
I did read that study, but it still doesn’t account for the disproportionate rate of HIV among the black community in the United States. The study found that the lack of an antigen made you 40% more likely to contract HIV. It also determined that roughly 40% of black men in america don’t have this antigen.
Nearly half of the people infected with HIV in this country are black. 13% of the population is black. Now, for the sake of arguement, lets assume that instead of 40% of black americans lacking this antigen, that 100% lack this antigen. So the black population would be 40% more likely to contract aids, so the racial breakdown of people who have aids should reflect that. So 13% times 140% = 18.2%
If genetics was the sole factor for the aids epidemic among black people, then black people would account for 18.2% of the population that has contracted aids. But like we said, nearly 50% of the population that has contracted aids is black. Where’s that other 30%come from?
For genetics to explain it, 100% of the black community would have to be 380% more likely to contract aids. But 40% of the black community is 40% more likely…quite the difference.

To Patricia in SC, I have an idea for you to try… If a man refuses to wear a condom, don’t have sex with him.

What are the source or sources of the statistics quoted? Black Aids Institute? OK. How did they arrive at these conclusions and numbers?

Is this report available online?

1 in 8 Americans are black so that means 38 million blacks in America. 500K have AIDS. Thats equal to 1.3% of the black population. Using that calculation, it doesnt seem as bad as Africa. And shame on CNN for trying to compare blacks in the US to Africans. Africans have it much, much worse. They have no timberlands, no pants to sag, no bling, no cars. Black Americans - you need to realize just how good you have it and how much worse it is from where you came from!

In years to come, we will look back and see these unbalanced statistics represent another Tuskegee Experiment type of event.

This time it is the testing of Genetically Specific Virus Research. The target group is the one least likely to suspect the medical professionals capable of such a level of wickness.

The Public Health Service, working with the Tuskegee Institute, began the study in 1932. Nearly 400 poor black men with syphilis from Macon County, Ala., were enrolled in the study. They were never told they had syphilis, nor were they ever treated for it. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the men were told they were being treated for “bad blood,” a local term used to describe several illnesses, including syphilis, anemia and fatigue.

President Clinton apologized in 1997 to Charlie Pollard, and the other Tuskegee survivors.

If you ask most Africans why there is so much AIDS on the continent, many will say that AIDS was brought there.

Why?

Population control for the purpose of maximizing global resources perhaps.
Isolating a Virus Resistant Genome within the target group perhaps.
Darwinian elemination of a percieved weaker species by a more dominant one perhaps?
Hate perhaps

Jessie said: “But Kevin needs to understand also that there are necessary precautions to prevent Melanoma as well. Practicing not lying out stretched out for hours on tanning beds, wearing clothing that protects one from the harmful rays of the sun, to not directly bake in the Sun without utilizing or exercising care to prevent this horrible skin disease.”

I think you missed the point Kevin was trying to make. He was basically comparing the AIDS in the black community issue with melanoma primarily affecting whites and that it was totally preventable if those folks would take precautions. And he was countering the argument that some ignorant fools are trying to make that AIDS is a big problem in the black community only because of the government’s indifference, by pointing out that one could make the same stupid argument that the government must not care about skin cancer in the white population…

As Granddaddy would say, “We’re just cleaning up the gene pool.” Before I married, my wife had me get an HIV test to make sure I was safe to breed with–now that’s a smart lady. Simple Biblical obedience can relieve some, if not most, of this problem. As far as why blacks get it more than whites; well, let’s not blame that on slavery. Always remember, if it weren’t for slavery, most blacks would still be in Africa where Aids, poverty, and education would be of a more “grave” issue.

Please people, understand this, HIV/AIDS can happen to anyone. Persons that have been tested positve for HIV do not necessarily come form having multiple sex partners or IV drug use. I have lost two members of my immediate family, my Mother, my brother, and my step father, yeah that’s three. They did not belong in your “typical” classification of persons infested with HIV. So if you do not know what you are talking about you need to keep quite, stop being hostile, and instead show some compassion and love.
I am writing this because I am tried of keeping the silence, the silence is what has allowed the epidemic to run wild with Black people in America.
When this disease first came out it was a gay man disease. But guess what, the gay community got out organized, educated, and informed people that having unprotected sex can lead to contracting HIV. They put condoms in every hotel, every bar, not locked up in the health clinic and drug stores, everwhere until, now we don’t hear about HIV in the homosexual community.
We need to organize and do the same thing for our people, if we are serious about stopping the spread.
I can go on and on but I have work to do.

As far as I am concerned, Duane is the only truly credible poster on this subject (including me). I agree with George B — hang in there, Duane.

We in the US all know how AIDS is transmitted, so what’s the point in rehashing that? Problem is, a lot of people in poorest Africa probably DON’T know, and that is why we send money over there — for education and prevention. Here, if you’re presumed to know how to prevent something, the burden falls on you to prevent it, not to cry foul after you have let it happen. We operate under a premise that you should be educated enough to be able to help yourself. That may be harsh at times, but it’s who we are, and I believe it’s healthy.

That said, AIDS is going to strike — even those people who who are acting responsibly and are simply victims of really bad luck. But that has nothing to do with black and white, and color really has no place in this debate. If someone is angry that the US gives Africa more AIDS money than it gives to its own citizens, fair enough — but they should at least acknowledge that it’s ALL American AIDS sufferers who are being treated unfairly, not just black ones. That’s where this whole article falls down for me.

Unless, of course, the insinuation is that the reason we give more to Africa than we give to ourselves is precisely BECAUSE proportionally more blacks than whites have AIDS…in which case, you’re just shouting “RACISM!” because it’s easy to do. That is just baseless blame-mongering with no specific foundation.

And finally, if you’re going to insist on bringing race into this discussion at all, I would ask…what color are most Africans again?

Epidemics are horrific. Ignoring the cause of epidemics is unconscionable. Lets try another view: We are all trying to get along. To that end may I suggest that you drop the ‘race card’ and look at the facts? I think we have all had quite enough of this apparent sell that being ‘Black in America’ is the worst possible situation in which to find yourself. What about RED in America, YELLOW or anything ‘Other’ in America? We all have our stories: Everyone is suffering from some past event. Apparently the Black demographic have the best PR people at the moment.

Comes down to personal responsibility . Govt. is not the answer to this problem. The blame game doesn’t help either. I just can’t understand that after nearly 3 decades, people are still saying that we need more education. The disease is out there, it is caused by having unprotected sex, sharing needles with drug users that may have the virus and blood transfusions. 2 of the 3 examples can be prevented. What more education does one need?

Those who say that down low brothers are not too blame, are wrong!
In 2005, MSM ( Men who have sex with men ) still accounted for about 53% of all new HIV/AIDS cases and 71% of cases in male adults and adolescents.

Yes, protection and prevention is definitely the major issue. But deception by MSM’s cause heterosexual women to falsely believe that they are in monogamous relationships when they are not. Down low brothers who are not open and honest about their sexuality are to blame for a great portion of new HIV/AIDs cases among African American women.

According to the CDC website today:

AIDS has been diagnosed for more than half a million MSM. Over 300,000 MSM with AIDS have died since the beginning of the epidemic.

MSM made up more than two thirds (68%) of all men living with HIV in 2005, even though only about 5% to 7% of men in the United States reported having sex with other men.

In a 2005 study of 5 large US cities, 46% of African American MSM were HIV-positive.

Got to the CDC website and see for yourself. Do your research before posting people!

Okay now, some of you all really need to get a grip. This is not about rap/hip-hop music or “thug” culture and it’s glorification of sex. This can be seen EVERYWHERE in American. This is in the movies, television, and even commercials. Sex sells and that’s the American way. I believe that the over presence of sex in America spawns symptoms such as AIDS, child pornography, sex- abuse, etc… I believe that there are many facets contributing to this epidemic. But, the most imporatant issue here is education. People need to be educated on SEX, period. We should not only be preaching SAFE sex, but also ABSTINENCE, as it’s the only 100% way to not contact any STD. This is not a gay issue or a hetorosexual issue, it’s a sex issue, and anybody who does it is at risk. Ladies, and Gentlemen, we can all do better. Start making responsible choices and let’s start getting our lusts for one another under control. A lifetime of pain just isn’t worth it.

This is irresponsible, faulty research, yellow journalism and just plain stupid for CNN to print such propaganda. Anyone can manipulate statistics to read any way they want, I know, I taken several statistical classes. I would like to know from Phil Wilson how you calculated this nonsense. Did you test every black person in America to make that statement? My boyfriend is black and so am I, according to you which one of us has HIV or AIDS? I work in an office with at least ten black males and females which of those have HIV or AIDS. is this about seeking money for your institution? Personally from me Mr. Phil Wilson you should be shut down and ran out of town, you are not helpful or respectful to the black community.

You know I’ve been to college and I had the sex talk and since that point I’ve dated several girls. Two of these women offered to have unprotected sex with me because we didn’t have a condom. I said no.
I had a blood test last month no AIDS.

The sad fact is that AIDS is what you get for being stupid black or white.

So sickening…whoa is me for the black population with all their problems….AIDS is acquired mostly thru means which can be prevented. Nobody is “giving” AIDS to anybody….start taking responsibility instead of blaming other races

We help Africa because education makes a difference there. We have so much education, information and clinics here, but being a black man growing up in the ghetto and ridiculed endlessly for valuing education and morals, I think what has to change is the average low income black person’s thinking of what is acceptable. I was ridiculed for not ‘getting any action’ and believing in the sanctity of marriage, ridiculed for valuing my education and ridiculed for not being interested in doing drugs. The low income black community will not advance until it chooses to realize that being educated and productive is a good a thing instead of spreading the word and the disease that all forms of non-productivity is the acceptable norm. Stop expecting handouts and be proactive about fixing the problems instead of waiting for the cavalry. Bring yourself to succeed instead of being parasites.

HIV and AIDS education are trumpeted as the needed remedy. But ask yourself what people in America still need to be educated on. If you were to ask people on the streets who the 10th US president was, you would get blank looks. Ask an average person how a person contracts HIV and he/she can tell you. The public already knows how NOT to get HIV. What ‘education’ is still needed, and how will telling people what they already know help them?

I think they need to use what information they already have!

i have sympathy for anyone, of any race, that has this horrible disease. but, at least since about 1990, it has been common knowledge how it is transmitted.l; you would have to be living under a rock to be unaware of the dangers of unprotected sex and sharing needles. the blood transfusion issue is over, and so, everyone has to be responsible for their own well being. if a white person tells you to stick a needle in your arm, just say no. same thing goes for unprotected sex. stop into planned parenthood and get some condoms. stop sticking needles into your body. grow up and realize that the problem and the solution begins with each individual.

Ah, the price of freedom.

The federal government is responsible for protecting us by ensuring that our rights to freedom are maintained, as per the constitution.

I don’t believe for one second that this administration is deliberately ignoring or denying treatment to those US citizens affected by this horrific disease. And to imply that since 50% of AIDS sufferers are black is proof is just plain ignorant.

However, the cause, actions and irresponsibility of those who exercise their right to freedom by participating in risky, unprotected, reckless sex - with multiple partners - is not something the federal government can, or should, regulate.

The illegitimacy rate in the black community in the US is 70%; it’s 25%for whites. What that means is that “responsible” people choose their mates wisely. Sex without a commitment is more than risky behavior; it results in children raised in single parent homes; single parents sleeping around with different mates; illegitimate children raised in an environment without stability and guidance, primed to repeat the horrid cycle of sex without love and commitment.

Then there are people who vow to remain single and pledge to copulate with as many members of the opposite sex that will have them.

And you and I have every RIGHT in this country to sleep with whomever we want; with or without protection or concern about an unwanted pregnancy.

Actions have consequences and freedom is not cheap. All the safe sex training and marketing ads will not stop people from having unsafe, unprotected sex.

AIDS will kill you. Participating in unprotected, reckless sex with multiple partners is like playing Russian Roulette. I have little sympathy for ignorant people who don’t take the necessary precautions to protect themselves.

I have even less sympathy for people who actually believe that the federal government is somehow responsible for protecting you from your own stupidity.

I find it sad that no one has put this into a historical context and you all seem to be blaming those who have contracted HIV, black or white, but especially black. To suggest that these people got what they deserved or that it’s their fault is disgusting. As a formed volunteer AIDS counselor, here’s my take on it.

Blacks, Hispanics, and other minority groups have HISTORICALLY had distrust for the medical profession. This is not something people just conjured up; As far back as the Tuskegee Experiments, minorities have understood that the medical profession did not value their lives as much as whites. Like it or not, there has been a pattern of lack of and low quality health care in minority communities just like the lack of education and quality schools. Many of you keep hammering education without considering that kids are sitting in freezing classes, with leaking roofs, non-working bathrooms, sub-standard books, underpaid teachers etc. This is not the fault of the child, but it certainly does not foster a productive learning environment.

More importantly, responsibility is always the first step in self-improvement, but this is an action that is learned. A teen who has not learned the full meaning of personal responsibility and not yet fully discovered that for every action there is a reaction, can find themselves condemned to death for one indiscretion. Women in long term relationships who are being told that their HUSBANDS are faithful and have every reason to believe they are in monogamous relationships are discovering they have been lied to and are now marked for death by the same people who claimed they loved them.
Most individuals who contract this disease are not just reckless and irresponsible. If you don’t believe that the culture of white supremacy in this country, and especially in its medical and educational institutions plays a part in rising rates of AIDS in minorities, you should get informed! Reagan disregarded AIDS in the 80’s (HAD TO BE FORCED TO EVEN MENTION IT) and we witnessed scores of gay men and IV drug users perish because no one thought they were WORTH anything. It is no different now. No one thinks minorities are worth the effort, and self-hate is evident. You have to care about yourself to worry about AIDS and whether you have it, don’t, or are at risk. If you live in a society that tells you aren’t worth justice or fairness, eventually you believe it and you convince yourself of it. The AIDS epidemic has to do primarily with lack of love, for SELF and FROM others.

You should all take a look at the Book of Matthew Ch. 25…..stop being so judgmental based on your on narrow experience and have some compassion for those in need regardless of their color or where they live.

I am amazed at the responses here. Many of you should be ashamed by the undertones of racism and the biggot attitudes displayed by your coments. In the year 2008, do you really believe that HIV is a race issue? Or an issue of economics? You blame blacks, or gays, or drug addicts. Ignorance. Please don’t begin to judge others for something that you are incapable of understanding yourselves. It matters not that your white, black, asian….gay, straight…wealthy or poor. Because we all came from different backgrounds and those are infinately variable, you could not understand, and no one DESERVES an illness such as HIV, just like smokers do not DESERVE lung cancer. What people deserve, regardless of other issues in thier lives, is compassion. This is a human disease. Are your ideas about HIV so ignorant that you think it only happens to “certain” people.
You would be wrong, and your thoughts outdated.
I am niether black , nor gay, nor foriegn. I am a red-blooded, white, 39 year old, mid-western, male, american, and I have empathy for anyone who has this terrible condition, regardless of the action that lead to it. I feel pain in my heart for all who need healing, and I feel terribly for those who think they are in a position to judge another.
Are you so clean?
Look deeply in the mirror, write your soul down word for word, then ask yourself how clean you are. Then pray to whatever God you worship.

No disrespect to anyone reading this blog, but if you rely totally on mainstream media for your education, then you ARE ignorant. I’ve taken the liberty throughout my educational experience to thoroughly research this topic and will shed some FACTS with you all.

First HIV/AIDS is NOT a disease you catch; people don’t succumb from a ‘virus’ called HIV. Instead the concoction of drugs render their immune system helpless to any and all pathogens.

Secondly, most of you readers cannot handle this one so brace yourselves. A government patent was issued to the United States Armed Forces back in the early seventies for a new biological weapon of mass descruction, which later after ‘voluntary’ testing in certain third world countries, and economically challenged areas of Amerika, was named Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the early eighties.

Third, every single person reading this will test positive for the antibodies for HIV/AIDS. I guarantee this fact. So no one is truly educated on HIV/AIDS if they depend on handouts from the mass media instead of doing long hours of research and study. There are forces at work in this great land of ours and you are all powerless to defend yourselves unless you wake up and smell the coffee.

It is our own person responsiblity, all of us, to take precautionary measaures in order to protect ourselves. Having said that, the spreading of Aids can be provented by taking some simple protective steps that are well known. The fact is if a person chooses to take no proventive measures and engages in risky activities, whatever they may be, then responsibility falls on that individual and they should be held responsible for thier own actions. I am not insensative to the issue however, Black Aids awareness is not the answer, practicing prevention is. No one can make you do it, you have to do it for yourself. Don’t blame the government or anyone else, we all must take responsibility for our own actions or inaction, whatever the case may be.

Too many black women wanting babies and not making their men wear condoms. That’s why AIDS runs rampant in the black community.

Ignorance runs rampant, there is a need to understand all of the issues/ factors that make a disease prevalent in a particular race before you degrade, and reduce a group of people to less than second-class citizens. To say that blacks by and large are not being responsible and that is why the disease is spreading is like saying “people” with __________ fill in the blank are responsible for their condition.

Now while a more concerted effort has to be put forward to suppress the number of new aids cases in the black community, this is one time when nature while intending to help a group of people may have also hindered it.

A gene found only in people of African ancestry which evolved to prevent malaria infection now increases the odds of contracting AIDS by up to 40 percent, a new study has found.

The gene does; however, seem to protect against the progression of the disease, allowing those carrying it to live about two years longer.

Lets be informed and once informed do something about it.

I think it is important to talk about this issue, but the recent media on this makes it seem as it is a HUGE epedemic and plague in the community. According to the CDC there are 185,988 blacks living with AIDS in the 50 states and the District of Columbia. That is out of over 36 million Black People!

I feel very blessed that this disease has not struck my family. Breast Cancer is what I am scared most of. Cancer is the # 1 one killer in my family. Lets talk about that.

When you were in school I am sure you received a pencil and paper. Your teacher likely held your hand while you learned to write. But you are the one who ultimate learned what to do. There are many many unsung ‘Cavalry’ that have come to the aid of AIDS victims. That would be the scientific community. the medical community, church groups (yes!!) and don’t forget Princess Diana. So why are you not helping yourself? Use a condom, and stop doing IV drugs.

Wow I thought aids was an American problem. As long as Ms.Seele and other “black leaders” want to segregate themselves from the rest of the American population don’t expect too much empathy or money for your cause. When we look at a problem as Americans it is amazing what we can get resolved. Continue to divide issues along racial lines and the only effect is hatred but what would a German/Dutch/English/Irish American know.Advice for all Americans if you aint married keep it in your pants,if the doctor didn’t order it don’t stick it in your arm, and most important say a prayer for all who suffer from Aids/HIV in America and elsewhere no matter their skin color

Throwing money at the problem is not going to make it go away here or in Africa. A 2007 documentary “The Greatest Silence: Rape in the Congo” showed stomach churningly large groups of women who were raped by soldiers in the congo. Many of these women were infected with the HIV virus during these rapes. [ HIV infection is actually not that horrible when compared to some of the other tortures inflicted during the attacks-- watch the film if you can]. There is a cultural mindset among the men that it is their right to take the women to satisfy their “needs”. Condoms and clinics are just a superficial dressing on a wound which is spreading. Until there is an actual cultural shift that spawns understanding and does away with superstition and misogyny then it’s a lost cause.

Here in the U.S. were not much better off. Young men, black and white, are proving themselves by having sex with as many women as they can. The result, is 2 fold. You have a bunch of children making more children who are likely to remain trapped in this cycle of ignorance. You have have generations of women who are objectified by men and accept that role. You couldn’t ask for a better breeding ground for STD’s.

I too am from the Richmond, VA area and don’t recall having heard of Balm of Gilead. The article seemed to list some vague complaints. Perhaps if Ms. Seele had listed some specific complaints with realistic solutions she might see some involvement from the federal and state government. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream. What this nation needs is a solid plan.