Lest We Forget: HIV/AIDS in the African American Community
Sometimes I think that black folks aren't talking about the subject, because Magic Johnson looks healthier now than he did in 1991 when he held his news conference. It's like there is a silent consensus that says he's alright, is healthy and looks good, so what is the problem? Well people, here is the problem.
Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) state that while African Americans make up 12% of the population, they are 37% of the HIV/AIDS cases. About 1 in 50 black men and 1 in 160 black women are infected -- more than any other ethnic group in the United States. If we spent the same amount of time talking about AIDS as we do talking about the latest videos and fashions, then I believe that this epidemic would not be ravaging our community the way it is today.
If those statistics don't scare you, how about these:
In 1999, 21,900 cases were reported among African Americans, representing nearly half (47%) of the 46,400 AIDS cases reported that year.
Almost two-thirds (63%) of all women reported with AIDS were African American.
African American children also represented almost two-thirds (65%) of all reported pediatric AIDS cases.
What are the causes of these high rates of AIDS in the African American community? Two words...sex and drugs. Again, according to the CDC, "among black men with AIDS, men who have sex with men represent the largest proportion (37%) of reported cases since the epidemic began. The second most common exposure category for African American men is injection drug use (34%), and heterosexual exposure accounts for 8% of cumulative cases." And "among African American women, injection drug use has accounted for 42% of all AIDS case reports since the epidemic began, with 38% due to heterosexual contact."
Obviously the African American community (both gay and straight) has learned nothing from the mobilization of the gay white male community. Where are our leaders on this subject? While many can, and will, point to socio-economic and political factors for the rise in AIDS in the black community, I would like to know where are the community outreach programs? We might not be able to solve the IV drug use issue overnight, but we can slow the spread of AIDS by implementing clean needle programs in communities where they are needed. If needles are not shared, AIDS isn't spread.
Yes, AIDS is a complicated subject, but a simple
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