Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2008. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Miami Herald - February 4, 2008
The event will start at the NFL YET Center, 7090 NW 22nd Ave., with people gathering between 8 and 10 a.m. and then march to the Joseph Caleb Center, 5400 NW 22nd Ave.
A Community Expo and HIV testing will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and a play called In The Continuum will be presented at 11:30 a.m.
Care Resource's PIF Program began providing HIV testing and outreach services Monday and will do so during other activities related to the day's observance.
Two other events are a Red Ribbon Motorcycle Ride from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 17 at El Palacio hotel, 16805 NW 12th Ave., and a Health and Prosperity Campaign from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 23 at Hosanna Community Foundation, 2171 NW 56th St.
The awareness campaign is given urgency by statistics showing that while blacks comprise about 13 percent of the U.S. population, they accounted in 2005 for 18,121 or 49 percent of the estimated 37,331 new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the country.
Nationally, several top Hollywood celebrities and entertainers have joined the mobilization effort to encourage blacks to get educated, tested, treated and involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
This year's roster of spokespersons include actresses Tatyana Ali, Angela Bassett, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Theresa Randle, Angel Moore, Tracie Thoms and Gina Ravera, the Rev. Creflo Dollar, NFL coach Tony Dungy, singer Patti LaBelle, actor Sydney Poitier, retired Gen. Colin Powell and political commentator and motivational speaker Tavis Smiley. This year's theme is "Prevention is Power."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sponsors Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, and planners and organizers nationwide have committed themselves to increasing awareness of the disease.
"I encourage everyone to make February 7 the day you get educated about HIV and a day when you talk to others, your family members, your friends and your partners about HIV," said Dr. Kevin Fenton, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention.
"If you have never had an HIV test or had your last HIV test some time ago, do consider getting tested again. Knowledge is truly power. It is the power to protect. It is the power to educate. And it is the power to make a difference," Fenton said.
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