PRNewswire - December 1, 2001

At the press conference to announce the Task Force, actor Danny Glover and former Congressman Ron Dellums also announced the launch of "Heroes in the Struggle," a photographic tribute to 20 African-American leaders in the fight against AIDS, sponsored by the African American AIDS Policy and Training Institute (AAAPTI).

Black Media Task Force on AIDS

Founding members of the Task Force include the American Urban Radio Network, Black Entertainment Television (BET), Vibe, and others. The Task Force was created in conjunction with a series of roundtables for black media hosted by AAAPTI and supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"The Black Media Task Force on AIDS demonstrates the strong level of commitment by black media to work together to increase awareness of this devastating disease in our community," said founding Task Force member Jerry Lopes, President of Operations and Affiliations for American Urban Radio Network. "This is only the beginning of our efforts to address the staggering effect of AIDS in the African-American community."

"The African-American community needs to remove the masks of ignorance and silence about HIV/AIDS," said Debra Lee, president and COO of BET, a founding member organization of the task force. "This task force strengthens the efforts of BET and other media outlets to increase awareness about testing, care and prevention. Working together, Black media has the power to make a profound impact today and for generations to come."

According to CDC, blacks make up only 13 percent of the U.S. population, but are estimated to account for more than half of all new AIDS cases in the country. It is further estimated that half of all men newly infected with the virus are black, and 64 percent of all women with AIDS are black. According to a new study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, African-Americans now view AIDS as the number one health problem facing the nation and the world.

"There is much work left to be done in the African-American community," said Phill Wilson, founding director of the African American AIDS Policy and Training Institute in Los Angeles. "The Black Media Task Force on AIDS will work to generate AIDS awareness in our communities, and stand against denial, fear, and the stigma of AIDS among African-Americans."

The Task Force will devise ways to increase black media attention to AIDS among African-Americans, increase African-American awareness and action to end the scourge of AIDS, and will also address the specific controversies and barriers to covering AIDS in the media. The Task Force will meet semi-annually, hosted by the African American AIDS Policy and Training Institute.

Earlier this year, CDC released new data on the high rates of HIV among young black men who have sex with men in six cities, the latest in a series of alarming statistics on the AIDS epidemic among African Americans. According to Dr. Ronald O. Valdiserri, Deputy Director of CDC's National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, "Targeted, aggressive efforts to increase awareness about the need for HIV prevention and treatment must continue if we are to control this devastating disease in the African-American community."

"Heroes in the Struggle" Photo Exhibit

Capping a day-long series of events for World AIDS Day, the African American AIDS Policy and Training Institute also launched its new "Heroes In the Struggle" photo exhibit to honor 20 African-American leaders in the fight against AIDS. At a gala reception co-chaired by actor and activist Danny Glover and former U.S. Congressman Ron Dellums at the California Science Center, leading African-American celebrities, athletes, activists, politicians, and doctors featured in the exhibit were honored, including Mary J. Blige, Magic Johnson, Whoopi Goldberg, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, Jr., Debra Fraser-Howze, Dr. Helene Gayle, Representative Maxine Waters, Paris Barclay, and Sheryl Lee Ralph.

"This exhibit is a tribute to the extraordinary African-American men and women who have made outstanding contributions to the fight against AIDS," said Danny Glover. "We hope that recognition of these individuals will empower other black Americans to join our efforts to generate AIDS awareness in the African-American community."

Ron Dellums, Chairman of the Constituency for Africa said, "We must understand that the AIDS pandemic is affecting people of African decent disproportionately around the globe. In Africa, we witness staggering numbers of people infected by AIDS, and here in the U.S., there is also an alarming increase of those infected by the disease. This is a global pandemic and we must respond as such. We must not be silent. We must raise our voices at home, in Africa and around the world."

The African-American community's most celebrated photographers were commissioned to shoot the exhibit, including Kwaku Alston, Barron Claiborne, Darien Davis, Jim Dennis, Greg McNeal, and Matthew Jordan Smith. Following a debut in Los Angeles, the exhibit will travel to black museums, historically black colleges and universities, and other venues around the country.

The African American AIDS Policy and Training Institute is the only Black HIV/AIDS think tank in the country. Its mission is to address HIV/AIDS by engaging black institutions and individuals in efforts to combat the AIDS pandemic. The website address is http://www.BlackAIDS.org .

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