Why Young, Black Men Can't Work

Editor's note: Our series "Life Cycles of Inequity" explores the ways in which inequity impacts the lives of black men. Each month, we focus on a life stage or event in which that impact has been shown to be particularly profound. Previously, we focused on implicit bias in the classroom.

In This Issue

On Thursday July 3rd, Essence Communications will open the 20th Annual Essence Festival in New Orleans, and like we have done for the last ten years, The Black AIDS Institute (The Institute) will be there, working with Essence to engage Black women in efforts to confront HIV/AIDS in their communities. Essence has been a remarkable leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS, supporting efforts to provide vital services to Black women every year at the Festival itself and delivering lifesaving HIV information to their readers year round in the magazine's pages and on Essence.com.

Why I Got Tested for HIV: Verneda White

To help destigmatize HIV/AIDS testing, commemorate National HIV Testing Day 2014 and remind women about the importance of getting tested, The Black AIDS Institute sat down with blogger Verneda White, 30, to talk about her most recent HIV test, what sparked it and the tricky exchange called condom negotiation.

On Friday Alicia Keys to Headline a Special Essence Empowerment Experience Panel with Greater Than AIDS at the 2014 Essence Festival

Fifteen time Grammy Award-winning artist and HIV advocate Alicia Keys will join with ESSENCE and Greater Than AIDS, a partnership between the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Black AIDS Institute, to headline a special ESSENCE Empowerment Experience panel at the 20th Essence Festival in New Orleans this week. Free to Festival attendees and the public, the ESSENCE Empowerment Experience brings prominent cultural icons, celebrities and community leaders to the stage to share thoughts and solutions with audiences within a daily, themed discussion.

BTAN Louisiana: Helping the Bayou State Fight HIV/AIDS

While Washington, D.C., and New York City were once thought to be the epicenters of HIV/AIDS in the U.S., that has definitely changed. Of the 10 cities with the highest rates of HIV/AIDS, nine are in states south of the Mason-Dixon line, with two of Louisiana's most populous cities making the list.