NBJC Commemorates National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Washington, D.C. – February 7, 2014 – I am my brother’s and sister’s keeper. That’s the theme of the 14th annual National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, and we want you to take this call seriously.
African Americans are disproportionately represented in new infection rates of HIV and often have few resources to treat the virus when they learn they have the virus. Even people in the Black LGBT community face stigma and isolation if they come out about their status. The National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC) observes National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in an effort to highlight the importance of Black LGBT leadership at the forefront of our fight against the epidemic, if we ever hope to see an AIDS-free generation.
Know The Facts:
- While Black people represent approximately 14 percent of the total U.S. population, they accounted for almost half (44 percent) of all new HIV infections in 2010 (20,900) and represent half of all people living with HIV, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
- Approximately one in 16 black men will be diagnosed with HIV during their lifetime, as will one in 32 black women. Nationally, 25 percent of new infections are in Black and Hispanic men on average (CDC).
- The Black AIDS Institute reported in 2012 that Black men who have sex with men (MSM) make up nearly one in four new HIV infections in the United States and one in six Americans living with HIV.
- In the National Transgender Discrimination Study (NTDS) published in 2011, over one-fifth of Black respondents were HIV-positive (20.23%) and an additional 10% reported that they did not know their status.
Be Your Brother and Sister’s Keeper.
Take Action:
- Get tested for HIV every six (6) months. Need help finding somewhere to get tested? Visit www.hivtest.org to find testing services in your local community.
- If you are HIV positive, find a provider you can trust and develop a treatment plan in order to take control of your health. Click here to find a list of providers in your community.
- Know your healthcare options. If do not have health insurance, visit healthcare.gov and learn about the new health exchanges available to you through the Affordable Care Act.
