Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1991. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Miami Herald; Saturday, October 12, 1991
Laura Blumenfeld, Herald Writer
On Thursday, with her announcement of the formation of the People of Color AIDS Coalition, Poitier threw her first punch.
"I was afraid of AIDS and anybody that had AIDS," Poitier said after a press conference at the Broward County Governmental Center. "But now, I'm committed and we're going to fight this all the way."
Poitier is leading a team of community activists from the recreation, library and health fields who hope to raise awareness among minorities about the deadly disease. They plan to disseminate information about AIDS during October, AIDS Awareness Month, in local libraries and parks, targeting teen-agers and young adults.
Nearly a third -- 32.6 percent -- of AIDS cases in Broward County are black patients; 6 percent are Hispanic. Florida ranks third in the United States in number of AIDS patients, according to James Jordan, director of Broward County Department of Health and Public Safety.
"We said it's a gay white man's disease," said Cora E. Braynon, nursing director for the Broward County Public Health Unit. "While all the time it was in the black community and it continued to grow."
Braynon described the impact of AIDS on the black community as "devastating."
In the past, activists said, they have dealt with AIDS in a piecemeal fashion. They now hope to create a coalition of fraternal, church, youth and civic organizations and draw up a unified strategy.
Cassandra Bell, a member of the People With AIDS Coalition, said the group formed by Poitier will help AIDS patients secure housing, early treatment and Social Security benefits. Bell said she has been living with AIDS for nearly 10 years and her head "has been spinning," waiting for an organization that would address the particular concerns of minority AIDS patients.
POCAC invites anyone interested to its first meeting on Nov. 6 at North Fork Elementary School in Fort Lauderdale.
CAPTION: PHOTO Sylvia Poitier (b)
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Copyright © 1991 - Miami Herald. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Miami Herald, Permissions, One Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132-1693 TEL: (305) 376-3719. http://www.herald.com.
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