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National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day has been and will always be a grassroots effort that is shaped around the needs of those communities that work hard each and every year to make it a success. Annually, nearly 20,000 Blacks in the United States test positive for HIV, an alarming number, especially if you multiply it times the last ten years alone. That’s 100,000 Blacks who are now living with HIV or may have died from AIDS related complications. It's time for us to do something different that inspires young and old, gay and straight, religious and non-religious to get on board with realizing the value and worth of Black life and acting accordingly.
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was founded by five national organizations funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1999 to provide capacity building assistance to Black communities and organizations: Concerned Black Men, Inc. of Philadelphia; Health Watch Information and Promotion Services, Inc.; Jackson State University - Mississippi Urban Research Center; National Black Alcoholism and Addictions Council; and National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS.
In the last seven years, the initiative has evolved, and so too has the governing body. The Strategic Leadership Council leads the initiative and provides guidance, direction, and strategic thought around how to get more Black community stakeholders involved and engaged. There are a total of 12 organizations that work together annually to make NBHAAD a success:
- 100 Black Men of America, Inc.
- Advocates for Youth, Inc.
- Alliances for Quality Education, Inc.
- Balm in Gilead, Inc.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Huston-Tillotson University
- Institute of the Black World
- My Brother's Keeper, Inc.
- Multi-Cultural Addictions Network, Inc.
- National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS
- Rae Lewis Thornton Foundation, Inc.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration
This initiative has had an array of national spokespersons—congressional leaders, faith based leaders, entertainers, actors, actresses, authors, radio personalities, and the list goes on. Some of the most notable spokespersons include President Barack Obama during his term in the Illinois Senate; Congresswoman Maxine Waters; Bishop T.D. Jakes; Radio Personality, Tom Joyner; former NAACP President and CEO, Kwesi Mfume; Congressman Elijah Cummings, Actor/Author, Hill Harper; and Screenwriter, Patrik Ian Polk.
For 2012, we hope to bring on board grassroots video PSAs from Black community stakeholders who can provide a voice, face and connection to the epidemic that haven’t been heard, seen, or made in years past. We also intend to hold online chats and video conferencing based on the regionalization of the planning process. Stay tuned to our web site as the best is yet to come.
For more information on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, please contact us at
info@nationalblackaidsday.org.
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