AIDS isn't just a pandemic killing people in Africa, China, India and
Russia. HIV/AIDS is a problem throughout America. Focusing on it during
Black History Month is imperative. More attention will follow in March
during the Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS. The
disease threatens to change the future for blacks unless it is stopped.
HIV/AIDS is causing devastation, pain, misery and death. But people
with it largely suffer in silence because of inaction from churches and
groups that could offer comfort, help and ways to keep the disease from
spreading. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that
in 2002 blacks accounted for 50 percent of the 42,000 diagnoses of
HIV/AIDS cases even though they made up only 13 percent of the
population. Of the 385,714 people living with AIDS, 42 percent are
black. Black churches have the power of the pulpit, which should be
used to address these concerns. But churches stubbornly remain mostly
silent on HIV/AIDS. Now is a critical time. In 2000, HIV/AIDS was one
of the top three causes of death for black men ages 25-54 and black
women ages 35-44. Black women had a 23 times greater diagnoses rate
than white women, and black men had an almost nine times greater rate
than white men. Unprotected sex was the leading cause of infection. [more]
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