WORLD AIDS DAY EVENT
World AIDS Day Observance Targets HIV Rise in African American Community
Our Youth were a part of the Live Broadcast at Rainbow P.U.S.H. where Jessie Jackson and others talked about issues plaguing our communities.
The author was also there who wrote a book about the assassination of Fred Hampton. This was an excellent experience for our youth to really be a part of a community forum. They not only heard about solutions.problems in our communities, but some of the solutions....
Chicago -- The Broadcast Ministers' Alliance of Chicago (BMAC) and Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) hosted daylong HIV awareness activities in commemoration of World AIDS Day on December 5, 2009. The programs was held at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition headquarters, 930 E. 50th Street. In addition to workshops and special activities sponsored by Governor Rod Blagojevich's BASUAH (Brothers and Sisters United Against HIV) program, the groups also offer on-site, rapid testing for HIV infection. All programs were free and open to the general public. AIDS is the leading cause of death for black women ages 25 and 34, and the third leading cause of death of black Americans between 25 and 34.
Illinois has the seventh highest number of AIDS cases in the nation, with 30,000 reported cases of AIDS since 1981. Of those diagnosed with the disease, about 16,500 have died."HIV infection remains one of the greatest threats to the African American Community," said Dr. Claudia Johnson, BMAC medical director. "If we are to reverse this trend in Illinois we must continue the movement to invest in effective treatment and prevention programs."
The World Health Organization established World AIDS Day in 1988. World AIDS Day provides governments, national AIDS programs, faith organizations, community organizations, and individuals with an opportunity to raise awareness and focus attention on the global AIDS epidemic. An estimated 38.6 million people worldwide are living with HIV and more than 25 million people having died of AIDS since 1981.
WORLD AIDS DAY EVENT
Our youth learned more facts about HIV/AIDS. They also got a chance to see a performance by a Michael Jackson look a like. They were so, sooooo excited. Other activities at this event included meeting radio personalities, karaoke, food, and raffles. They were raffling off about #4 laptops, ipods, gift cards, etc. Would you believe the same little girl won a laptop again from our group, won again. Of course there were some haters, even from our group who thought it was not fair. But because she won before on a different day at a different event her large family will benefit from her winning a Dell Laptop...
WORLD AIDS DAY EVENT.....
One of our newly registered youth won a Dell Laptop during a raffle. . .