Countdown to the International AIDS Conference, Part 3

The last in a 3-part series on why the International AIDS Conference matters to Black people. Part 1 I discussed what the International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012) is. Part 2 focused on some of the challenges facing Black communities. Here, on the eve of the conference, we'll look at what Black people need to do to end the AIDS epidemic in Black America and how the International AIDS Conference will help us do that.

Ennis Jackson, BTAN Bay Area: Fighting HIV/AIDS With Knowledge

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Until AIDS 2012 I have not been able to afford to go to the International AIDS Conference. I am so excited to see what is going on internationally in the AIDS world. I am looking forward to the whole experience and appreciate the Black AIDS Institute for making it possible for me to attend. I hope it is the first of many AIDS Conferences.

Yaa Simpson, BTAN Chicago: Increasing Black Participation

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The International AIDS Conference offers an opportunity to participate in a dynamic forum that hasn't taken place in the U.S. for the past 20-plus years.

Blacks must have our voices and concerns heard and acknowledged by the world. Although people of African descent have issues that transcend boundaries, African descendants living in the U.S. must address the challenges and barriers here as well as abroad.

Justin Wooley, BTAN Chicago: Joining The Global Battle

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The fact that the International AIDS Conference is being held in the United States means that Americans can be taken seriously as global fighters in the war against HIV/AIDS and that our international allies can call the U.S. a homefront. The hosting of the conference, implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and end of the travel ban help us stand united with activists worldwide in our purpose, our cause and our desire to achieve a cure--rather than being seen as pompous, self-centered and delusional assholes who only give a damn about ourselves and not the rest of the world.

Shenell Evans, BTAN Jackson, Miss.: Giving For The Greater Good

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I'm fighting to attend this historic event--I cannot let it pass me by. AIDS 2012 will help me as an advocate, clinician and researcher obtain a more thorough understanding of what's happening in Black America and populations across the world. I'm hungry, thirsty and fighting to be fed!