(WASHINGTON, DC) — The NAACP will spotlight HIV and AIDS in the Black community during its Forgotten Epidemic Advocacy & Education Summit on November 2-3, 2011 in Washington D.C. The free two-day event is aimed at engaging community activists and legislators on the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic and health issues that disproportionately affect the Black community. The Summit aligns with the 30th anniversary commemoration of HIV/AIDS in the United States.
"NAACP leadership has identified HIV/AIDS as a national priority," said Shavon Arline, Director of NAACP's Health Programs. "We realize this is the number one killer among African American women ages 25-44 and will continue to raise awareness and bring a sense of urgency to this epidemic to save our families."
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Black Americans are 13% of the U.S. population, but make up over 50% of all new cases of HIV and AIDS. That represents an infection rate 10 times higher than the white population. Among women, the numbers are even more shocking: 70% of all new infections among American women are Black women, and a Black woman's risk of dying of AIDS is 23 times greater than that of a white woman from the U.S.
The event will feature leaders in health equity and in the social justice and civil rights movements, as well as community and faith-based organizations. National, state and local elected officials are invited to attend, as are HIV/AIDS activists, health researchers and policy analysts. Confirmed panelists include Phil Wilson, President/Founder, Black AIDS Institute; Christopher Bates, Executive Director, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services - Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA); Jeff Crowley, MPH, Director of the Office of National AIDS Policy & Senior Advisor on Disability Policy; and Carl Schmid, Deputy Executive Director of the AIDS Institute's National Policy Office.
Discussions will highlight root causes of the epidemic; stigma and discrimination associated with people living with or affected by AIDS; and Black relationships and sexuality. Separate sessions will be aimed at the presence of the epidemic in Black youth. Participants will also steer conversations on developing critical action plans to stem the tide of HIV and AIDS among Black Americans.
"Health care is a fundamental civil right," said NAACP President Benjamin Todd Jealous. "As we usher in a new era of health care provisions, we must identify the best ways to implement this legislation in the best interests of low income communities and communities of color."
The NAACP has initiated several health care efforts, including its 880 Campaign for Real Healthcare Reform Now. The campaign's name derived from findings suggesting that the deaths of 880,000 African Americans could have been prevented had adequate health care reform been passed in the last decade. The NAACP also led a coalition of more than 50 civil rights and advocacy groups to create an unprecedented "civil rights war room" where organization leaders developed a strategy to successfully advocate for the passage of the National Health Care Reform Bill in March 2010. The NAACP is also a member of the Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative (AAALI) in partnership with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, as one of 14 national Black organizations and the Office of Minority Health.
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WHEN: Thursday, November 2, 2011
Education & Training Luncheon
11:00 a.m. — 6:30 p.m.
Networking Reception
6:30 p.m. — 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Holiday Inn Capitol
550 C Street SW
Washington, DC 20024
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.
