Newspaper Page Text
The Journal of AID Atlanta page 2
National Conference
on AIDS
in the Black Community
Washington Convention Center
Washington, D.C.
Friday, July 18, 1986
9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
FOCUS
To address the need for greater awareness
and involvement by the Black Community
in die ongoing responses to die AIDS health
crisis. A disproportionate number of Blacks
have been diagnosed as having AIDS or an
AIDS Related Condition/Complex (ARC)
—■ including Blacks who are Gay, Bisexual,
and/or IV Drug users. Additionally, Blacks
are disproportionately represented in the
statistics of women and children who have
been diagnosed with AIDS or ARC.
SPONSOR
The National Coalition of Black Lesbians and
Gays and other civil rights and social service
organizations.
FUNDED
In part by a grant from die United States
Public Health Service.
CONTACT
Craig Harris, Conference Coordinator,
NCBLG, INC. 930 F Street, N.W.,
Suite 514, Washington, D.C. 20004
202/737-5276.
BLACK AND WHITE
MEN TOGETHER
by Richard Bono
Central to AID Atlanta’s efforts to educate
blacks about the spread of AIDS is the
cooperation it receives from the Atlanta
chapter of Black and White Men Together
(BWMT).
With 115 members, the local group has
produced an active AIDS Education
Committee that has conducted risk reduction
"parties" and disseminated news releases and
brochures about AIDS throughout the gay and
straight black communities in Atlanta.
"I believe BWMT has a genuine concern
about what happens in the gay community,"
said Duncan Teague, chairman of the AIDS
Education Committee.| "Because of our
concern for the lack of informnation reaching
the minority community," he said, "it wasn’t
hard forming this committee and getting a lot
of support."
Established a year ago, BWMT’s AIDS
Education. Committee has been able to reach
Atlanta’s black gay community in ways other
groups have not.
"BWMT has done quite a bit," said AID
Atlanta Director Rev. Ken South. 'They have
provided AID Atlanta with many suggestions
on how to reach the black gay community. We
could not have made the inroads we have
without BWMT."
Teague says part of BWMT’s success is due to
the fact that "there is ho where else to turn if
you want to reach black gay men organized."
But, he nonetheless laments that even their
best efforts to educate black gays often hit a
dead end.
"Many black gays are ignorant of the facts
that concern them," he said. "I think because
the same creativity that has been used to get
the message to white gays has not been used to
get the message to black gays, that there is a
misconception among a large group of black
gays that AIDS is not something they should be
concerned with - that it is somehow a white
man’s disease."
Recent statistics from the Centers for
Disease Control on AIDS in the United States
revel a different picture of the spread of the
disease. It is estimated that black Americans
account for 25 percent of AIDS cases in a
country where they make up 12 percent of the
population.
Other roadblocks BWMT has encountered
involve those black men in the straight
community who engage in occasional
homosexula behavior, but do not considerr
themselves gay.
'These are the people that are very hard to
reach," said Teague. "If a brochure about AIDS
has the word "gay" on it, they think they have
no reason to pick it up. Or, they are even
repeljed at the idea."
The often negative reaction of the straight
black community to BWMT limits the group’s
impact, Teague said.
"Making inroads into the larger black
community in Atlanta is difficult," he said. "It
isn’t always comfortable for our members to
make their gayness known or their
involvement with BWMT."
Teague says the blacks that compose
roughly half of BWMT membership are not
necessarily estranged from the larger black
community, but they "do not travel in those
circles."
In fact, Teague said, 'In our particular
organization, I have found, paradoxically, that
our white members often have inroads into the
black community where our black members do
not. It’s just a different case."
Black and White Men Together is an
interracial group, whose membership Teague
says amusedly "is so diverse you wouldn’t
believe."
Atlanta BWMT membership includes
professionals in many fields, from doctors and
lawyers to students, laborers, performers and,
said Teague, "to people who wait tables and
dream impossible dreams."'
Atlanta BWMT is part of the National
Association of Black and White Men Together,
whose national convention July 4 in New York
City will coincide with the celebrations
surrounding the unveiling of the newly-
refurbished Statue of Liberty.
CDC SAYS, "NO $!"
■ FIGHT ■
THE FEAR
WITH FACTS
AIDS INFO-UNE
876-9944
AID Atlanta’s
P.R. Committee
Jean Levine
Chairperson
Richard Bono
Ralph Ginn
Sharon Kricun
Helen Treto
Adrian West
Johnny D. Walsh
Editor, The Jourhalof AID ATLANTA
THE JOURNAL
TheJoumal ofAIDAtlanta is published ty AIDAtlanta, Inc,asocial
service agency that provides support to Persons with AIDS and
education to the public about AIDS.,- \
AIDAtlanta, Inc is incorporated in ‘the'xtlte of Georgia as a non
profit, tax expempt, tax deductable corporatimCThis journal exists to
explore and to accurately document the toil)) of emotion and
experience of persons affected in any way by the Acquired Immune
Deficency Syndrome
Opinions expressed by columnists, writers, photoptfrbns Or by any
other form ofartisticex press ion arethoseofthe writers and artist's, an d
do not necessarily represent the opinion of The Journal of AH>Atfiiiit|
or AID Atlanta, Inc.
Publication of names,' photoffaphs or likeness of any persoiy
persons, organizations or businesses does not imply and is not to
construed as any indication of sexual orientation or the state 6f
personal health. . . ^
The names of Persons with AI DS, their family,.friends or lovers .are
used ONLY with their permissidn. AIDAtlanta and TheJoumal ofiUD
Atlanta respect the constitutionally garunteed right of all persons to
privacy.
The Journal of AID Atlanta is copyright 1985 by AID Atlanta, Inc.
Permission must he obtained in writing to reprint any ofthe articles,,
statements, letters dr p^otogaphs contained in this journal.
Money that would have been used to develop
a special committee to disseminate AIDS
information to the black community was
recently denied AID Atlanta when the U. S.
Centers for Disease Control refused to give the
non-profit agency a $209,000 grant for which it
had applied.
'The idea was to put together a campaign
using outreach workers geared to four different
audiences: straight black men, IV drug users,
gay males and youth," said Rev. Ken South,
executive director of AID Atlanta. "Our risk
reduction campaign would have been modified
for each group," he said.
But, the $209,000 grant that would have
funded the targeted AIDS education
campaigns was withheld by CDC and AID
Atlanta officials are bristling at the action.
"Our hunch is that it has become a policy of
the Centers for Disease Control not to fund
community-based prevention programs," said
South. 'They don’t want to fund them because
they’re too politically hot." .
Even the U.S. Conference of Mayors, which
does community-based outreach programs
using money granted from the CDC, has been
cut off from funds, according to South.
Had AID Atlanta received the CDC grant,
black outreach workers would have been hired
to "serve as a link between AID Atlanta and the
black community," said South.
It was hoped that the committees aimed at
straight black men and IV needle users would
have made a direct impact on the spread of the
disease in the black community.
Annual Memorial Service for
People Who Have Died From AIDS
AID Atlanta will sponsor the Annual Memorial
Service for People Who Have Died Rom AIDS on
Sunday June 29,1986 at All Saints'Episcopal Church.
The service will take place at 3:00 pm. AID Atlanta is
compiling a list of those to be remembered in this
.year's service. Members ofthe communily are asked
to call AID Atlanta with the names of persons to be
remembered in this service.
A special "Ad-hoc" choir is being formed to sing at
the service. Anyone interested in serving in this choir is
also asked to contact AID Atlanta at 872-0600 and
leave their name and number.
This opportunity for members of the community to
come together and share the loss and grief that AIDS
has brought to our lives is an important part of the
healing process. Too often, the grief that comes from
losing someone to AIDS is not given the public rituals
that help the grieving to heal. Join with your
community in remembering.
atlanta fflTf
811 Cypress St.
Atlantal, GA 30308
404 872-0600
# • #
AID Atlanta Is a voluntary health and
human service organization dedicated
to responding to the epidemic of
Acquired Immune deficiency Syndrom
(AIDS).
Your personal donation- is needed and
welcomed.
WOMEN’S BLOOD DRIVE
sponsored by: Atlanta Lesbian Feminist Alliance
Midtown YWCA
Women’s Task Force of AID Atlanta
JUNE 27, 1986
To make an appointment contact:
Midtown YWCA
892-3476
First Existentialist Church
378-5570
For more information about the Blood Drive and what you and/or your organization can do to
help, contact: Linda Wiltse at 892-3476
To Exprett Solidarity and Support
for People With AIDS