Mobilization
By Sharon Egiebor
Hollywood A-list actors, musicians and athletes, including Regina King, Jimmy Jean-Louis and Samaki Walker stepped up Monday to take an HIV test in public and to encourage 1 million African Americans to get tested for the disease. Rev. Al Sharpton, founder of the National Action Network, also spoke at the news conference and committed his organization to supporting the national testing effort and the larger fight against HIV/AIDS in the African American community. In anticipation of National HIV Testing Day June 27, the star-studded group helped launch the “1 in a Million Campaign” during a news conference at the Screen Actors Guild Headquarters in Los Angeles. “When I heard about this project, I knew it was something that I had to participate in,” said King, (“Ray,” “Jerry Maguire,” “Miss Congeniality I and 2”). “Make no mistake about it – AIDS is devastating Black America. Young and old, male and female, straight and gay – we are all at risk. You can lie to yourself and say ‘AIDS is somebody else’s problem,’ but that won’t protect you, and it won’t protect your family.” Black Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Of the 1.3 million Americans living with HIV/AIDS, nearly 50 percent of them are Black. Black Americans represent more than 54 percent of the new HIV/AIDS cases in the United States. AIDS is the leading cause of death for African American women aged 24-34. A study by the CDC showed that forty-six percent of Black gay men in America may already be HIV positive. Twenty-five percent of HIV positive people in the U.S. do not know they are infected. “As actors, our every move is open to the scrutiny of the media. But today, we have the opportunity to work with the media for a greater good – to stop the spread of AIDS in the African American community,” King said. Screen Actors Guild, the American Federation for Television and Radio Artists, the Black AIDS Institute, Artists for a New South Africa, Palms/AACDI and the Beverly Hills/Hollywood branch of the NAACP sponsored the conference. Alan Rosenberg, SAG president, also took a public HIV test. “The “1 in a Million” campaign is critically important, not only the African American community, but for us all. Hollywood is no stranger to AIDS – in fact, the entertainment industry was one of the first communities to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the gay, lesbian and medical communities to sound the alarm of this epidemic more than 20 years ago,” said Rosenberg, (“The Guardian,” “Cybil”). “However, times have changed, and so has the face of AIDS. We are here today to continue our legacy of embracing those impacted by HIV by talking about AIDS in Black America, and to lead the way for the millions of Americans who don’t know their HIV status to find out.” Other celebrities present included: Several other celebrities who support the campaign could not be present for the news conference. Those absent included actress Gloria Reuben (“ER,” “Life Support”), who was in New York but available for telephone interviews, actor Hill Harper (“CSI New York”) was filming in North Carolina and Shari Belafonte (“The District”). The celebrities talked about the urgent need for individuals to know their HIV status by getting tested, for the greater community to support individuals who are HIV positive, to remove the stigma attached to the disease and for people to move beyond issues of gender. Phill Wilson, executive director of Black AIDS Institute, a national black policy think-tank based in Los Angeles, said the “1 and a Million” campaign is part of a national mobilization to end the AIDS epidemic in Black communities by 2012. During the conference, the agency previewed its national public service announcements featuring black congressional leaders. “We know that’s an ambitious goal – but given the devastation that AIDS is causing in our communities, anything less would be immoral,” said Wilson, who publicly discloses his AIDS diagnosis. “While we can’t eradicate the virus in five years, we can reduce HIV/AIDS rates, increase the percentage of Black people who know their HIV status, increase the percentage of people who are in appropriate care and treatment, and reduce the debilitating stigma that cripples our efforts to ending the epidemic.” There are an estimated 600,000 Black Americans living with HIV and AIDS, out of the estimated 1.3 million Americans. “The only way to end the AIDS epidemic in Black America is for Black folks to get about the business of ending it.” Wilson said. Sharpton, who was in Los Angeles for the 2007 BET Awards, pledged his organization support for the “1 in a Million” campaign. “We are excited about this campaign and will keep pushing to get 1 million people tested. I believe it is a critical issue in our community. We have neglected it. You can’t say you love our people and not be concerned about their health and the disproportionate number of people dying. It is not a matter of whether to get involved it is a matter of whether or not you are going to be involved in something that inadvertently touches all of us in our community.” “It will be the most important thing you do this week, and maybe even the most important thing you do in your life,” Williams said. James Norris, an incoming sophomore at DePauw University in Indiana and a Black AIDS Institute intern, said he was encourage to take an HIV test Monday when he realized Regina King would be present. “James, you are a true inspiration to all young black men and women out there, and I am proud of you for putting yourself out there and doing this. We are used to the spotlight, but you are not. To put yourself out there in the public eye like this is amazing, and you are truly a role model for your generation,” King said. “And you’ve inspired me to take a chance to, so I now I’d like to tell members of the press that I have asked the “1 in a Million” organizers to allow my test results to be revealed here at the press conference. Whatever the results, I want to show America that taking an HIV test is quick, easy, free, and painless – and so important to you and your community.”