Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
PRNewswire - October 27, 2000
"African-Americans haven't benefited from the science of AIDS education, prevention and treatment in the same way white American's have," says Phill Wilson, founder and executive director of AAAPTI. "The resources, experience and infrastructure have not been in place to educate our community. Today, with the opening of this facility, we will begin to change that. By understanding the science of AIDS, African-Americans will be better equipped to deal with the polices of AIDS prevention, care and treatment and, in turn, become stronger advocates for ourselves and our loved ones."
The new AAAPTI headquarters opens at a time when AIDS is ravaging African-American communities. The disease is the leading cause of death of African-American men aged 25-44 and the second leading cause of death for African-American women in the same age group. Many African-American leaders and other experts feel that better education about the disease, how it is prevented and treatments for those infected will help stem the spread of AIDS among African American Americans.
In earlier days of the AIDS epidemic, effective advocacy and activism of white gay men--the population most affected at the time -- brought about significant intervention from both the US government and the private sector.
Millions of dollars were spent on effective prevention, care and treatment. Wilson sees that trend happening for African-Americans now, but knows more can and must be done.
Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), a long-time leader in Congress on AIDS issues agrees.
"People of color must learn how to make our voices heard in the fight against HIV/AIDS," she says. "We know we can do it--our struggle for civil rights proves that. But our people need to learn the ins and outs of HIV/AIDS and how to make our voices resonate. That's what this Center is about."
The one-of-a -kind Center features offices, classrooms, a computer lab and an exhibition area. It is fully equipped for meetings, trainings, teleconferencing and offers high speed access to the Internet. It will offer classes on nutrition, HIV prevention and treatment, computers, and yoga. The new center will also be the home of the African American HIV University, a two-year fellowship program designed to expand the number of African Americans with expertise in the basic and clinical science of HIV disease and how to prevent further transmission.
The new facility also has ties to Africa, where more than 35 million people are living with HIV. Mercy Makhalemele, a South African woman living with AIDS will speak at the opening. Makhalemele is a heroine to many in South Africa. After being diagnosed with HIV during her second pregnancy, she was beaten by her husband by whom she was infected, and forced out of her home.
"As people of African descent, we have a responsibility to help our brothers and sisters in Africa where damage done by AIDS will change the course of history," Wilson said. "This is an epidemic that knows no boundaries and stops at no border."
Several of the rooms of the AAAPTI headquarters are named for African or African-American pioneers in the AIDS movement who have died -- or, in the case of Gugu Dlamini were killed for having the disease. Others include Reggie Williams, the founder of the National Task Force on AIDS Prevention and Novella Dudley, the first African-American woman to publicly disclose her HIV status.
The African-American AIDS Policy and Training Institute headquarters is located at 1833 W. Eighth Street, Suite 200 in Los Angeles. The Indaba Center is open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. For more information, call 213-353-3610 or visit http://www.BlackAIDS.org.
The role of the African-American AIDS Policy and Training Institute is to engage black people in the fight against HIV and AIDS, to reduce the further transmission of HIV in black communities and to increase access to care for black people living with the disease. This is accomplished through the development of public policy, training, technical assistance and information dissemination and through model programs and advocacy from a distinctly and unapologetically black point of view.
SOURCE The African-American AIDS Policy and Training Institute Web Site: http://www.BlackAIDS.org
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