On September 25, 2009, the National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) will be hosting “An Evening Without Politics: A Benefit Reception” which will take place during the 39th Annual Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Legislative Conference. With HIV infection rates steadily climbing in African American communities, the NMAC is planning to announce a new AIDS education initiative at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).The HBCU HIV/AIDS Peer Education Initiative focuses on an “each one, teach one” delivery system. Participating schools will be Virginia Union University, in Richmond, VA; Howard University, Washington D.C.; and Bowie State University, Bowie, MD. Selection of these universities also addresses the disproportionate number of HIV infections in the Washington D.C. area. According to data gathered by the Government of the District of Columbia, Department of Health, Division of HIV/AIDS, three percent of all residents of the District of Columbia are living with HIV or AIDS, the highest infection rate in the United States.
Paul Kawata, Executive Director of the NMAC stated, “We need a national, comprehensive and coordinated strategy to address HIV/AIDS, a plan that requires the same level of accountability and transparency that we demand of other countries when we give them funding to address HIV/AIDS. As part of that strategy, we must continue to address socio-economic disparities, such as unemployment, lack of insurance, homelessness, poverty and lack of education, that have helped foster the AIDS epidemic in the U.S., particularly in communities of color.”
Proceeds from tonight’s reception will benefit the HBCU HIV/AIDS Peer Education Initiative and technical assistance to minority community and faith-based organizations in Washington D.C.
Image from http://www.nmac.org/
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