Black AIDS Conference Cancelled

We are disheartened to report that the 2010 National Conference on African Americans and AIDS (NCAAA) has been cancelled due to inadequate funding. NCAAA is the only nationwide conference on Black people and HIV/AIDS. Historically, financial support has been provided by pharmaceutical companies. This year, only one company agreed to fund the event, TheBody.com reports.

"If [pharmaceutical companies] are going to expand their markets exponentially, their corporate responsibility needs to keep pace--especially supporting U.S.-based organizations in the market that made all the profit possible," says K. Mary Hess, who founded and directed both the NCAAA and the National Conference on Latinos and AIDS (NCLA), to TheBody.com. NCLA, which usually takes place during the summer, is being postponed indefinitely also.

"At a time when Black people are increasingly disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS, we need more opportunities for Black AIDS-service providers to come together and share best practices," says Phill Wilson, founder and president of the Black AIDS Institute. "It is critical for Black AIDS leaders to cooperate to ensure that there are venues for us to address HIV/AIDS issues from a uniquely Black point of view."