Opinion Editorial by Institute CEO and Founder Phill Wilson

Master of My Fate, Captain of My Soul

In Clint Eastwood’s latest film, Invictus—Latin for “unconquered”—Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) gives a copy of William Ernest Henley’s poem by the same name to Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), the captain of the South African national rugby team. The poem provided inspiration to Mandela during his 27 years in prison. Now, the South African President hoped the poem would similarly inspire the Afrikaaner head of the nearly all-white team during its improbable run to win the 1995 World Cup.

The rousing last lines of the poem are “I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul”.

I was reminded of these lines as I read the latest in a series of Washington Post articles detailing the years-long failure of the District of Columbia to address the city’s HIV/AIDS epidemic. The latest article describes in heartbreaking detail how, over much of the past twenty plus years, only a pittance of AIDS funds have been directed to Wards 7 and 8, the predominately Black, low-income areas with the highest burden of HIV/AIDS in the city. The lion’s share of the money went to areas where the need was also significant -- but significantly less.

What’s more, the level of funding directed towards Wards 7 and 8 was often a joke—grants of $10,000, $20,000 or $50,000. Not only are these amounts are far too small to make an impact upon the AIDS rates in those communities, they are also too small to run almost any program effectively and sustainably, and so they set up Black organizations in those communities to fail. Indeed, funds were often misspent by organizations that lacked the necessary training and infrastructure—and, yes, sometimes the integrity. There were a few shameful instances of corruption. But the main problem by far was inadequate capacity. In fact, the DC health department itself lacked the capacity to appropriately disburse and monitor the grants.

The bottom line is that the health department in our nation’s capital neglected the disease in low-income Black neighborhoods. And largely for that reason, the community failed to develop the capacity to adequately respond to the epidemic. No wonder the AIDS rates in many areas of Black Washington are higher than those in some African countries.

“I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.”

Alas, what has happened in Washington is neither new nor unique. For far too long, African Americans in cities large and small, all around the country, chose to remain hands-off about HIV and AIDS. For most of the epidemic, we chose not to be the masters of our fate. We chose, instead, to allow others to determine our destiny by shortchanging us. Let there be no mistake: We can’t curb this epidemic on the cheap, certainly not in communities that struggle not only with AIDS but with a perfect storm of other social and economic problems.

We need to stand up and denounce the way the Black AIDS infrastructure in the United States has been starved to death by the “powers that be”—from the federal government to charitable foundations to AIDS-service organizations. If we allow business as usual, then in many Black communities, the AIDS infrastructure will remain decrepit or nonexistent—a reality that leads many funders, in an invidious form of circular reasoning, to justify their decisions not to invest in those communities.

But we can point out that the very same logic was used to criticize the U.S. government when it began to direct the first PEPFAR dollars into underdeveloped and resource-poor nations in Africa. There was no way that the United States should allow leaders in those countries to become masters of their nations’ fates, some argued. Yet today, PEPFAR is lauded as largely successful, building an AIDS-service infrastructure in those nations, putting antiretroviral medications in the hands of those who needed them, and saving millions of lives.

The time has come for Black America to become the masters of our fate and the captains of our collective soul. Even though health departments have failed in almost every city and town, we do not have to allow previous failures to determine our destiny. We can become masters of our fate by ensuring that the Obama administration makes good on its plan to develop our nation’s first national AIDS strategy, and by demanding that state, local, and private funders put the most resources into communities where the problem is most acute.

As Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for more than a quarter century, yet emerged with a vision and the determination to end apartheid in his nation, so Black America can take charge of our destiny. Collectively, we too, can be invincible. Collectively, we, too, can be masters of our fates and captains of our souls.

We Honor his Unwavering Commitment in the Fight Against AIDS

Institute Mourns the Passing of Dennis deLeon

The Black AIDS Institute mourns the passing of Dennis deLeon, President of the Latino Commission on AIDS.

DeLeon was a tireless advocate for the rights, health, dignity and well being of people living with HIV. For more than 15 years, deLeon led the Latino Commission, which was established in New York City in 1990 in response to the rapid growth of HIV/AIDS in the Latino community. Under deLeon’s leadership, the Latino Commission expanded beyond its initial focus on New York City to establish a national leadership role in efforts to strengthen the response to AIDS in communities of color.

DeLeon recognized that an effective AIDS response is not possible without a strong commitment to the human rights of people living with, and affected by, HIV. Before assuming leadership of the Latino Commission, deLeon headed the New York City Commission on Human Rights, pursuing some of the earliest HIV discrimination cases in the world.

While deLeon began his AIDS work in his government post in New York City, he recognized the critical need for communities to own and drive the fight against the epidemic. In addition to leading the Latino Commission on AIDS, deLeon also served as a longtime board member of Gay Men’s Health Crisis and Housing Works, two of the country’s largest community-based AIDS organizations.

Today, the Institute joins with its partners across the AIDS response to honor deLeon’s extraordinary work and commitment. While his passion and intelligence will be sorely missed, they will continue to inspire us to redouble our efforts to achieve his dream of a more just and equitable world – a world without AIDS.

Health Reform 101: The Public Option in Plain English

There are more than 400,000 words in the Senate healthcare bill, but to most folks two of them matter most: public option. Yet with progressives and conservatives at war over this issue, it's hard to separate fact from fiction. Here, we break it down for you without the spin, talking heads or industry jargon.

Question: What is the "public option"?

Answer: The government would offer people a health-insurance plan like Medicare, but you wouldn't have to be a senior citizen or disabled to join it. This "public option" would compete with plans offered by insurance companies, forcing prices down and giving consumers more choices.

Q: Why is there so much hype, uproar and confusion about it?

A: People disagree—often, but not always, along party lines—about how involved the government should be in our health-care system. Generally, Democrats think that healthcare is a right not a privilege, that government should help make healthcare affordable for everyone, and that big businesses need to be regulated sometimes. Republicans typically believe that involving the government in healthcare interferes with business's freedom to make money and sets the stage for a government-run healthcare system, as exists in many socialist countries.

Q: Who is the public option for?

A: Supporters see the public option as a way to make insurance coverage more affordable, especially for 44 million people who don't have any insurance or the additional 25 million who don't have enough insurance.

Q: I hear that the government may tax me if I don’t have insurance? How will it affect the uninsured?

A: The plan would require every American to have insurance and make employers contribute money toward the cost of their workers’ insurance coverage. When they file their federal tax return, people would have to prove that they had health insurance. Those without coverage would be penalized.

Q: What if I don’t have enough insurance? Will the public option help me get better coverage?

A: People who currently do not have any or enough health insurance could buy coverage cheaper through the public option than through the private plans currently available. (Go here to learn more about the implications for the underinsured. To learn about the impact upon people without any insurance, go here.)

Q: How will it affect people on Medicaid?

A: Nothing changes if you are already on here to learn more about the implications for people on Medicaid.)

Q: I keep hearing about the House version and the Senate version. It's very confusing. How do they differ?

A: The primary difference lies in how the public option will be paid for, not in its coverage and benefits. The House wants to tax employers who fail to provide coverage for their employees; the Senate proposes taxing healthcare and pharmaceutical companies and people earning over $200,000 per year, especially those with top-of-the-line health-care coverage provided by their employer whose premiums often cost over $8,000 per year.

Q: Where along that timeline are we? And what steps are still involved to get health reform passed?

A: The House has already passed its version of health reform. The Senate is trying to pass its version before Christmas. At that point House and Senate leaders will work out the differences to create one bill that the entire Congress can vote on.

Black America Marks World AIDS Day

December 1st, 2009 marked the eleventh observance of World AIDS Day, and in Black communities across America organizations of all kinds held special events designed to raise awareness about the disease. Check out these highlights.

Washington. Black Entertainment Television teamed up with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and students with Howard University in Washington, D.C. to host a series of events on and leading up to World AIDS Day. They included a short film showcase about HIV and AIDS by curator Ralph Scott of BET’s “Independent Lens.” It was followed by a panel discussion featuring HIV-positive participants. In addition to receiving free HIV tests, students formed a human HIV/AIDS ribbon and released dozens of red balloons to commemorate those impacted by the disease.

Nineteen-year-old student Havian Nicholas—who raised $1000 for people for HIV victims at a benefit concert she organized on campus—says she was shocked by the turnout. “A lot of students at Howard are really complacent about HIV and AIDS so I was worried nobody would come to my event. But when I walked into the auditorium it was full to capacity,” she said. “That made my day.”

New York. Former president Bill Clinton made news as he participated in a panel discussion on AIDS at Columbia University. Clinton admitted that he’d been wrong to impose a ban on syringe-exchange-program funding while he was president. “Not only did he say he now supports lifting the ban on using federal funds to support syringe exchange programs, he says he has a clearer understanding of the AIDS epidemic in African-American community, especially among Black women and men who sleep with men. He says the United States must focus more on these areas,” said a pleased Kali Lindsey of the Harlem United Community AIDS Center, who also participated in the discussion. Co-sponsored by the International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs, the event sought to explore new ways of raising awareness about the illness on both a domestic and global scale, and well as ways to get more funding to communities in need.

Elsewhere in the city, world-renowned poet and activist The Greene Space. She shared a special jazz-accompanied meditation called “Does Your House Have Lions” about her brother, who died of AIDS. Her reading was followed by a discussion about the illness moderated by Dr. Monica Sweeney, the Assistant Commissioner for HIV/AIDS, and the Black AIDS Institute’s own Phill Wilson.

Little Rock, Arkansas. Organizers with the Arkansas Minority Health Commission (AMHC) capped off World AIDS Day with programs at the area’s historically black colleges and universities—Philander Smith College, University of Arkansas Pine Bluff and Arkansas Baptist College. The highlights? Nearly 200 students were tested for HIV, five teens received awards for writing essays and making posters centered around HIV and actress Sheryl Lee Ralph performed “Sometimes I Cry: The Lives, Loves, and Losses of Women Infected and Affected by HIV/AIDS.” Plus nearly two thousand balloons were released at six sites statewide to commemorate the number of Arkansans who have lost their lives to AIDS since 1983.