Barbara Lee Commemorates National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day By Calling for Increased Funding
Media Advisory
For Immediate Release: February 7, 2008
Contact: Cleve Mesidor, (202) 225-2661
(Washington, DC) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9) released the following statement commemorating National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day:
"Twenty-six years after the first cases of AIDS were reported, HIV is still running rampant in the United States, especially among African American and other communities of color. Today, across all demographic groups, African Americans are more likely to get infected with HIV and are more likely to die from AIDS.
"We have to take greater action and attack HIV/AIDS with increased intensity, starting with the communities that have been devastated by this disease. Over 188,000 African-Americans were living with AIDS at the end of 2005, representing 44 percent of all cases in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet under President Bush, funding for the Minority AIDS Initiative and our domestic HIV/AIDS programs has been continually flat-lined.
"I recently introduced new legislation (H.CON.RES.280) to support the goals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and to support the development of a national AIDS plan with clear goals and timelines and a clear system of accountability.
"Advocacy groups, like the California Prevention and Education Project (CAL-PEP) in my Congressional District, understand the significance of this day and are marking it by providing free testing, disseminating prevention information and conducting education programs in cities throughout our nation.
"I urge my colleagues to support my resolution and make stopping the spread of this global pandemic a priority at home and abroad.”
About National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day:
National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was created in 2001 by a coalition of five national non-profit organizations to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS among the African American community. Recognized each year on February 7th, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day encourages African Americans and all Americans to "Get Educated, Get Involved, and Get Tested".
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Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-9) is Co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus and sits on the Appropriations Committee. She is First Vice-Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), where she serves as Co-chair of the CBC Task Force on HIV/AIDS. Congresswoman Lee is a leader in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. She co-authored legislation creating the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria in 2000, the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in 2003, and legislation on orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS in 2005.