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New Taskforce Rallies Celebrities to Address HIV/AIDS Crisis in Black Community

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The national message that Black lives matter somehow has not translated to the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Statistics show that Black and Brown people continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS nationally, and this demands a new creative response that is timely and effective.

 

Commemorating the annual National Black HIV/AIDS Day that was started in 1999, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation formed its Black AIDS Crisis Taskforce (ABACT) at a celebrity-filled private champagne brunch in Hollywood, California at H.O.M.E., a Black-owned live jazz supper club.

In collaboration with celebrities and prominent cultural influencers, ABACT will draw attention to national infection rates among African Americans, and the need for intensified efforts to connect African Americans living with HIV to medical care and support.

POST writer Jesse Brooks with actor Jussie Smollett, star of the smash television hit "Empire". Smollett says when a test audience saw an early scene of his character Jamal in a same-sex kiss with his television boyfriend, ratings plummeted. "They did not like the scene at all. I'm glad that show creators Lee Daniels and Danny Strong refused to remove it. The show pushes buttons, but is dealing with real issues and rich topics that really resonate within our community."

POST writer Jesse Brooks with actor Jussie Smollett, star of the smash television hit “Empire”. Smollett says when a test audience saw an early scene of his character Jamal in a same-sex kiss with his television boyfriend, ratings plummeted.
“They did not like the scene at all. I’m glad that show creators Lee Daniels and Danny Strong refused to remove it. The show pushes buttons, but is dealing with real issues and rich topics that really resonate within our community.”

Entertainers including Ledisi, B. Slade, Yolanda Adams, Jussie Smollett (plays Jamal on the new Fox show “Empire”) and many others came out to answer the call.

The ABACT event laid the foundation for slowing the rates of HIV/AIDS infections and deaths among Blacks by empowering and encouraging its members and partners to use their platforms to be a relatable voice of support for HIV testing and treatment.

“Whether people are afraid to get tested out of fear of the results or are in denial about their status, stigma and shame is literally killing thousands in our community each year,” said Christopher Johnson, AHF’s Associate Director of Communication and ABACT co-chair.

“The goal of ABACT is to form viable partnerships with cultural leaders in the Black community to create a true sense of urgency around the Black HIV/AIDS crisis, especially among young people who are largely unfamiliar with the early struggle,” Johnson said.

According to CDC reports, Black Americans account for almost half (44 percent) of all people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States, yet they only account for 12 percent of the population.

Black Americans are the least likely of any other race or ethnicity to be retained in medical care to become virally suppressed through anti-retro viral drug therapy after becoming HIV positive.

By encouraging health advocates and cultural influencers to help combat stigma and shame in the African-American community, ABACT’S members believe the deep-seated fear that prevents people from knowing their status and consistently sticking to a treatment regimen can be removed.

Smollett, who portrays a gay character on the hit Fox series “Empire”, knows that addressing the subject of homophobia in the Black community as well as HIV/AIDS is a heavy lift. He was among a panel that discussed how stigma attitudes and silence equals death for African Americans.

Smollett said, “Art can change the world. My character is dealing with real issues, rich topics that really resonate with many.” He says he receives thousands of letters from young people saying they relate to his character Jamal.

Yolanda Adams said, “It’s time to rally the community, the church and the world to make them understand that we have to combat this.”

The taskforce is encouraging community leaders and influential members of the community to join ABACT in combating the spread of HIV/AIDS.

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of June 18 – 24, 2025

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Juneteenth: Celebrating Our History, Honoring Our Shared Spaces

It’s been empowering to watch Juneteenth blossom into a widely celebrated holiday, filled with vibrant outdoor events like cookouts, festivals, parades, and more. It’s inspiring to see the community embrace our history—showing up in droves to celebrate freedom, a freedom delayed for some enslaved Americans more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

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Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans
Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans

By Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans

Juneteenth marks an important moment in our shared history—a time to reflect on the legacy of our ancestors who, even in the face of injustice, chose freedom, unity, and community over fear, anger, and hopelessness. We honor their resilience and the paths they paved so future generations can continue to walk with pride.

It’s been empowering to watch Juneteenth blossom into a widely celebrated holiday, filled with vibrant outdoor events like cookouts, festivals, parades, and more. It’s inspiring to see the community embrace our history—showing up in droves to celebrate freedom, a freedom delayed for some enslaved Americans more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

As we head into the weekend full of festivities and summer celebrations, I want to offer a friendly reminder about who is not invited to the cookout: litter.

At Clean California, we believe the places where we gather—parks, parade routes, street corners, and church lots—should reflect the pride and beauty of the people who fill them. Our mission is to restore and beautify public spaces, transforming areas impacted by trash and neglect into spaces that reflect the strength and spirit of the communities who use them.

Too often, after the music fades and the grills cool, our public spaces are left littered with trash. Just as our ancestors took pride in their communities, we honor their legacy when we clean up after ourselves, teach our children to do the same, and care for our shared spaces.

Small acts can inspire big change. Since 2021, Clean California and its partners have collected and removed over 2.9 million cubic yards of litter. We did this by partnering with local nonprofits and community organizations to organize grassroots cleanup events and beautification projects across California.

Now, we invite all California communities to continue the incredible momentum and take the pledge toward building a cleaner community through our Clean California Community Designation Program. This recognizes cities and neighborhoods committed to long-term cleanliness and civic pride.

This Juneteenth, let’s not only celebrate our history—but also contribute to its legacy. By picking up after ourselves and by leaving no litter behind after celebrations, we have an opportunity to honor our past and shape a cleaner, safer, more vibrant future.

Visit CleanCA.com to learn more about Clean California.

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Over 500 Join Interfaith Rally in Solidarity with Los Angeles Resistance to Trump Invasion

Over 500 people attended the Tuesday evening rally in Oakland, which was held simultaneously with a prayer vigil in Los Angeles, where rabbis, pastors, Muslim faith leaders, and indigenous spiritual leaders gathered to pray and speak out about the federal government’s abuses of power.

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Hundreds gathered at Fruitvale Plaza in Oakland on June 10 in solidarity with immigrants and opposed to Trump’s use of armed federal agents in Los Angeles. Photo by Beth LaBerge/KQED.
Hundreds gathered at Fruitvale Plaza in Oakland on June 10 in solidarity with immigrants and opposed to Trump’s use of armed federal agents in Los Angeles. Photo by Beth LaBerge/KQED.

By Post Staff

n response to last week’s “invasion” of Los Angeles by armed and masked federal agents, East Bay faith leaders and community members, joined by Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee and Alameda County Supervisor Nikki Fortunato Bas, held an Interfaith vigil Tuesday evening at Oakland’s Fruitvale Plaza in support of Los Angeles residents and immigrant communities across the country.

Over 500 people attended the Tuesday evening rally in Oakland, which was held simultaneously with a prayer vigil in Los Angeles, where rabbis, pastors, Muslim faith leaders, and indigenous spiritual leaders gathered to pray and speak out about the federal government’s abuses of power.

Earlier on the same day, hundreds of protesters at San Francisco and Concord immigration courts shut down the courts after masked, plainclothes federal ICE agents detained people seeking asylum attending their court hearings.

“Too many families in Los Angeles torn apart by this invasion still do not have access to a lawyer — and that’s not an accident. We, the people, the community, are here to say, ‘Enough!’ We must keep organizing and demand that ICE and our government respect the rights of all people and uphold the principle of due process,” said Andrés Pomart with Trabajadores Unidos Workers United.

“We know that when we organize, we win. That’s why our communities – Black, Brown, and working-class – are coming together to support each other in solidarity. Together, as immigrant communities and as a united working class, we will not be divided nor intimidated nor live in fear,” Pomart said.

“Immigrant communities — yes, our immigrant communities — are the heartbeat of Oakland, enriching our neighborhoods with diverse cultures, languages and experience, and deserve the quality of life that every human being deserves. An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us.  “Your city remains committed to protecting our immigrant neighbors,” said Mayor Lee.

“When Trump’s armed goons come for our families and communities, when they trample on our shared values of freedom and opportunity, when they make a mockery of our rights to due process, we are called to step up for our neighbors,” said Supervisor Bas. “This is not just an immigration story. It’s a story about who we are — and how we respond when our neighbors are under attack and when the president of the United States abuses his powers. When they come for one of us, they come for all of us.”

Said Kampala Taiz-Rancifer, the Oakland teachers’ union president, “It is time for us to say, ‘Not in our city.’ We will stop, we will block, we will drive out ICE. We will protect our classrooms. We will protect our streets. We will protect our homes. Together, we rise for the dignity of our families and our right to live without fear.”

“I feel that the president and the current administration is grossly overstepping and abusing their power,” Rabbi Chai Levy, speaking to KQED. “I feel that, as a religious person, communities of faith need to show up and stand in solidarity with immigrants who are threatened and afraid. “It’s important to show up as people of conscience and morality and say that we’re against what our government is doing.”

The vigil was hosted by Bay Resistance, and co-sponsoring organizations included the Alameda Labor Council, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), Faith in Action East Bay, Restore Oakland, East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE), Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Oakland Rising, Faith Alliance for a Moral Economy, SEIU Local 1021, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ), SEIU United Service Workers West, Jewish Voice for Peace Bay Area, Jobs with Justice San Francisco, Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity, Urban Peace Movement, and Trabajadores Unidos Workers United.

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