AIDS in the African American community

"According to the 2000 census, African Americans make up 12.3% of the US population. However, African Americans accounted for 19,206 (50%) of the estimated 38,730 new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the United States" (http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/aa/resources/factsheets/aa.htm). This is extremely dangerous because HIV/AIDS is not curable and most new diagnoses are because of the ignorance. The media did not do enough to inform people about HIV/AIDS and how they could have prevented contracting it.

Transmission categories for African American adults and adolescents with HIV/AIDS diagnosed during 2001–2004:
Even though young African Americans are the 50% of the AIDS population the African American community did not seem to care about the rising numbers. "Eazy-E was the first major hip-hop music figure who was not openly gay to die from AIDS. But instead of seizing this opportunity to educate, the media downplayed Eazy's death. MTV had devoted around-the-clock coverage to Kurt Cobain's suicide, but squeezed only a few paltry minutes on Eazy into their regular MTV News broadcasts. The New York Times and People offered slightly expanded obituaries, and BET seemed asleep at the wheel"(http://www.eazy-e.com/eazy-e-death.html). Eazy E's death was in 1995 and only now2006, has the African American community faced this issue.

Now that the issue is being addressed it is encouraged to get tested throughout the nation.


National HIV Testing Day, sponsored by the National Association of People with AIDS, is held each year on June 27th to encourage people to get tested for HIV and know their results.

So get tested and be safe!!

--LaVera