Urban Thought Collective

I lost my uncle to HIV in the 1984. He was a proud, strong family man with a beautiful wife and two terrific kids. The reason for death to everyone outside of my family was cancer or unknown. Everyone in my family knew he died from AIDS related complications but no one would dare speak about it.

Many years later I would lose my best friend to AIDS. We’d known each other most of our lives having a friendship that endured through elementary and high school. In college he finally shared with me the fact that he was gay. Shortly thereafter I was able to disclose the same thing about myself to him. There was nothing we couldn’t talk to each other about. Or so I thought. He never disclosed his HIV status to anyone. I (and his family) would learn of his diagnosis following his death.

We are somehow missing the message that HIV is very much a black disease and everyone is at risk. December 1 is World AIDS Day and it is the perfect time for us to address how this disease is ravishing Black America and how we’re responding to it. It seems that many of us are still in the dark about the impact of this epidemic on our community. For many when we talk about HIV/AIDS in the Black community the images we see are those from Africa. Well, the reality is this disease is still infecting many of us right here at home.

According to the Black AIDS Institute there are currently over 500,000 African-Americans currently living with HIV. There are an additional 20,000 becoming infected each year. The reason we need to pay attention to these numbers is because we are being affected at a much higher rate than anyone else. It seems that for some reason we are missing the message about prevention. I’m not sure if it is a belief that one can’t be affected (the invincible complex), that if it were meant to happen then it’ll happen no matter what you do (the God’s will belief), or the belief that people aren’t dying anymore then it must no longer be a problem (the HIV is a thing of the past concept).

Let’s keep it real. People are still DYING from this disease. There is no cure. There is no vaccine. AIDS can and will kill you. Unfortunately for many African-Americans, we don’t get tested for HIV until we feel that something is wrong. We wait until we have the uncontrollable weight loss. We wait until we find ourselves with night sweats and fevers for unknown reasons. We wait until symptoms kick in telling us that there is something wrong with our bodies. And once these signs show up we’re still hesitant to go to a doctor because of wishful thinking that things will get better on their own.

I know that the medical community and African-Americans have historically not had a great relationship. Our earliest exams were only to determine our value as chattel. Then the Tuskegee experiment just closed any chance of trust between the black man and a doctor. But we have to move beyond the wrong doings of the past. Fear and mistrust of those in the medical field are only putting you at a disadvantage.

We must get tested for HIV on a periodic basis. Waiting to get tested for HIV only when symptoms emerge means you’re finding out much too late. The earlier you know the more you can do to ensure that you live a long, healthy life. Most cities have locations that provide free anonymous / confidential HIV testing. Do some research and find out where you can get tested in your town.

I am going to close with a few challenges. Obviously my first challenge to you is go and get tested for HIV. Encourage someone to go with you. Take a girlfriend, take a co-worker, take your lover. Everyone needs to be aware of their status.

I also have a challenge that we end all the phobias, the stereotypes, and misguided labeling related to HIV. This is not God’s punishment for anyone. No one living with HIV deserves it. This is simply a virus. It is nothing more or nothing less. It infects all races, all socio-economic levels, all cultures. It infects the old, the young and the newly born. It infects the gay and straight.

Finally I challenge you to become a hero in this struggle. Encourage all of your friends to get tested. Become a volunteer for an AIDS service organization. Post testing locations for your city on a blog or in a newsletter so people are in the know about the resources available to them.

We have to take ownership of this epidemic. We have to educate ourselves about prevention. We have to teach our youth and our friends about ways to stop the transmission of this disease. It is going to take us to save us.

Jason Green is the co-founder and facilitator of UGIMA (United Gay Informed Men of Arizona) and a frequent blogger regarding issues impacting the African-American community. His unique perspective on issues affecting the black community will be featured regularly on UrbanThoughtCollective.com. Check out more from Green at his personal blog, The J Spot.