2011 Archive

It has been 30 years since the start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and today African Americans bear the greatest burden of HIV in the United States. According to CDC data released last year, although African Americans represent about 12% of the population, they account for nearly half of all new HIV infections (45%) and of people living with HIV/AIDS (46%). Approximately one in 16 black men will be diagnosed with HIV over their lifetime, as will one in 30 black women – facts which underscore the need for the National HIV Testing Day.

To help encourage African Americans to get tested and to know their HIV status, the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (CBCF) has joined forces with WHUR 96.3 FM radio and the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) for the third year in a row to support National HIV Testing Day (NHTD) on June 27.  The 3rd Annual National Testing Day event will provide free and confidential HIV testing, information, games and prizes in front of the NCNW building at 633 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW (corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 7th Street, NW) from 10am to 3pm.

Organized annually by the National Association of People with AIDS, this year marks the 16th National HIV Testing Day. Its theme, “Take the Test. Take Control,” encourages people at risk to know their HIV status in order to stay healthy and protect their partners. As part of the Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative (AAALI) – a partnership between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and 19 of the nation’s leading civil rights and social justice organizations to integrate HIV prevention into their existing outreach programs – CBCF will join thousands of other organizations to participate in events to encourage early diagnosis and routine testing for HIV.

“Getting tested for HIV is an important step in taking ownership of our health and lives,” said Marjorie Innocent, Ph.D., CBCF senior director of Research and Programs. “It’s also about focusing on prevention and fostering healthier relationships and communities now and in the future,” she said.

AAALI is a component of the Act Against AIDS campaign, which seeks to elevate the HIV epidemic on the national radar screen. New data shows that every 9½ minutes, someone in the United States becomes infected with HIV. The goal of the campaign is to remind Americans that HIV continues to pose a serious health threat in the United States and encourage them to get the facts they need to take action for themselves, their partners, and their communities.

For more information on Act Against AIDS and the Act Against AIDS Leadership Initiative, please visit www.cbcfinc.org. and www.actagainstaids.org.