Barbara Lee Welcomes Bono to Oakland for AIDS Discussion
(Oakland, CA) – Congresswoman Barbara Lee welcomed rock legend and international AIDS activist Bono to Oakland on Friday to learn about how the global epidemic is impacting the African American community and other communities of color in the United States and efforts to stop the disease.
“This visit is an opportunity for an international AIDS activist to learn about the epidemic here in the United States, where HIV/AIDS is devastating the African American community and other communities of color,” said Lee. “Oakland is a microcosm of the crisis our nation faces, and Bono’s coming here helps focus public attention not only on the problem, but also on some of the innovative solutions that have been developed locally.”
Lee, who is recognized as a leader in Congress in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the African American community and globally, became friends with Bono through their work together in Washington on policies designed to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa.
“I invited Bono to come to Oakland so that he could get a first hand sense of what the front line of the pandemic looks like in the United States and what we are doing to fight it,” Lee said.
The visit, which took place at the Allen Temple Baptist Church in Oakland, began with a meeting with representatives from local clinics and service providers and people living with HIV/AIDS to discuss prevention and treatment efforts. Joy Rucker, Executive Director of AIDS Project of the East Bay, discussed her organization’s programs to provide treatment, care, counseling as well as education and outreach.
Lee and Bono then participated in a roundtable discussion with local faith leaders on the role of the faith community in helping fight the disease and how others might learn from and build on the successful efforts of the Allen Temple’s AIDS ministry. In addition to offering counseling and spiritual guidance, the ministry also provides case management and housing for people living with AIDS, as well outreach to other congregations and organizations.
“Any effort to combat the spread of AIDS requires that the community as a whole be involved, and among African Americans that means Black clergy must be involved. The faith community has taken critical steps in fighting this disease, and building on those steps is part of what we were talking about today.”
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