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Defeating AIDS Is a Civil Rights Issue

Published

11 years ago

January 21, 2014

AIDS is a civil rights issue. While statistics show that most HIV testing is done in healthcare settings, health agencies have been trying for many years to figure out how to test in public venues – to reach out to the communities that are most impacted.

However, those African Americans and Latino communities, those who are hardest hit the HIV/AIDS epidemic, seem hesitant to test in public venues.

The latest example: of the thousands of celebrants who turned out Monday at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, only nine people were tested for HIV/AIDS.

African Americans have the most severe burden of HIV of all racial/ethnic groups in the U.S. Compared with other races and ethnicities, they account for a higher proportion of HIV infections at all stages of the disease, from new infections to deaths.

Moreover, a number of challenges contribute to the epidemic in Black communities, including poverty, injection drug use, drug addiction, mental illness, limited access to health care, cultural barriers in health care.

< p>But at health events where HIV/AIDS testing is being offered, testers find after 33 years, stigma is still the largest barrier that stops people from testing.

To date, over 230,000 African Americans have died of AIDS related illnesses, nearly 40 percent of total deaths and of the more than one million people living with HIV, almost half are Black, and yet as a racial group, African Americans represent just 14 percent of the U.S. population.

Young African American gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men are especially at risk of HIV infection. New HIV infections among African American women decreased for the first time in 2010.

Blue Williams, program Manager for the DREAM Project (Determined to Respect and Encourage African American Men), a program at the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, has been a certified tester since 2005.

Williams was one of the testers Monday and also was one of the testers at last year’s event.

“The number of people testing was just slightly higher last year, but having nine people getting to know their status is something to celebrate,” he said. “Large events seem to be daunting places to test. A lot of people are here, surrounded by friends or family feel embarrassed, have fear to get tested, or some just feel they are not at risk.

A 2009 survey by the Kaiser Foundation reported a fifth of Black Americans cite HIV/AIDS as the most urgent problem facing the U.S. In another survey, four fifths of African Americans believed that government spending on the disease domestically was insufficient.

The report said African Americans were the most aware about transmission routes, were the most likely to have been tested, were the most likely to say they knew someone who was living with HIV or had died of AIDS, and were the ethnic group that reported experiencing the highest levels of stigma.

Scottie Warren, a case manager for Volunteers of America in Oakland, was a tester at last year’s Art and Soul festival in Oakland, said that during the two-day event, his agency tested over 50 people, and there were three other agencies testing people as well.

Warren says he finds success with his personality, putting them at ease while conveying confidence in his knowledge, but ultimately getting them to see that testing is not a moral judgment or moral indicator, but a health decision.

He also notes that persons of color, including the Latino community that face the same issues and are the second largest population hit.

“People of color tend to test more at events if there is some type of handout, some incentive,” he said.

According to Civil Rights leader and former NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, the importance of testing cannot be overrated.

“It’s sometimes daunting to want to take on something else, but nothing less, we just have to do it,” he said “We must accept responsibility for the growing epidemic and make HIV/AIDS education and prevention a priority.

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Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

4 days ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 30, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 28 – June 3, 2025

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7 days ago

May 30, 2025

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Black Feminist Movement Mobilizes in Response to National Threats

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States.

Published

7 days ago

May 30, 2025

Stacy M. Brown

By Stacy M. Brown
Black Press USA Senior National Correspondent

More than 500 Black feminists will convene in New Orleans from June 5 through 7 for what organizers are calling the largest Black feminist gathering in the United States. The event, led by the organization Black Feminist Future, is headlined by activist and scholar Angela Y. Davis. Paris Hatcher, executive director of Black Feminist Future, joined Black Press USA’s Let It Be Known to outline the mission and urgency behind the gathering, titled “Get Free.” “This is not just a conference to dress up and have a good time,” Hatcher said. “We’re building power to address the conditions that are putting our lives at risk—whether that’s policing, reproductive injustice, or economic inequality.” Hatcher pointed to issues such as rising evictions among Black families, the rollback of bodily autonomy laws, and the high cost of living as key drivers of the event’s agenda. “Our communities are facing premature death,” she said.

Workshops and plenaries will focus on direct action, policy advocacy, and practical organizing skills. Attendees will participate in training sessions that include how to resist evictions, organize around immigration enforcement, and disrupt systemic policies contributing to poverty and incarceration. “This is about fighting back,” Hatcher said. “We’re not conceding anything.” Hatcher addressed the persistent misconceptions about Black feminism, including the idea that it is a movement against men or families. “Black feminism is not a rejection of men,” she said. “It’s a rejection of patriarchy. Black men must be part of this struggle because patriarchy harms them too.” She also responded to claims that organizing around Black women’s issues weakens broader coalitions. “We don’t live single-issue lives,” Hatcher said. “Our blueprint is one that lifts all Black people.”

The conference will not be streamed virtually, but recaps and updates will be posted daily on Black Feminist Future’s YouTube channel and Instagram account. The event includes performances by Tank and the Bangas and honors longtime activists including Billy Avery, Erica Huggins, and Alexis Pauline Gumbs. When asked how Black feminism helps families, Hatcher said the real threat to family stability is systemic oppression. “If we want to talk about strong Black families, we have to talk about mass incarceration, the income gap, and the systems that tear our families apart,” Hatcher said. “Black feminism gives us the tools to build and sustain healthy families—not just survive but thrive.”