February 07, 2003
Although we only represent 12% of the population, African Americans make up 38% of all AIDS cases reported in the United States. That 38% represented, at the end of 2000, a total of 292,522 cases. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the statistics for African American women reflect an even starker situation. In 2001, over 7,000 African American women were newly infected with HIV, representing 63% of all infections in women.
Recognizing the severity of AIDS in our community is just the beginning. We must also join together with other affected communities to demand a comprehensive solution to the racial and ethnic disparities in our health system, which continue to limit our access to quality treatment options.
But even as we look for ways to address HIV/AIDS within our own community here in the US, we cannot forget about our African and Carribean brothers and sisters, whose situation is even more dire. The United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that last year 2.4 million Africans died of AIDS-related illnesses, while 29.4 million continue to live with the disease. At the epicenter of the pandemic, heavily-affected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are struggling to provide care and treatment for over a third of their populations. In the Carribean, an estimated 440,000 people are infected with HIV/AIDS, a number that is continuing to climb.
As chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Global HIV/AIDS Taskforce, I have worked very hard, along with the rest of my CBC colleagues, to highlight the issue of AIDS in Africa and the Carribean and AIDS in the African American community. We have pushed hard to make these issues part of the Congressional agenda, and we have aggressively pushed to make them part of the Administration’s priorities. I'm proud to say that as a result of our efforts, the efforts of the activist community and faith-based organizations, President Bush has committed $15 billion in the form of an Emergency Plan for AIDS in Africa and the Carribean. But he can and must do more, starting with an immediate contribution of at least $1.2 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria, this year. I will continue to work very closely with my colleagues to ensure that the President remains committed to addressing AIDS issue in the coming months and years ahead.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee's Statement Regarding National Black HIV/AIDS Day
Today, more than ever, we must all come together to engage in a frank and open discussion about sex and HIV/AIDS in the African American community.Although we only represent 12% of the population, African Americans make up 38% of all AIDS cases reported in the United States. That 38% represented, at the end of 2000, a total of 292,522 cases. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the statistics for African American women reflect an even starker situation. In 2001, over 7,000 African American women were newly infected with HIV, representing 63% of all infections in women.
Recognizing the severity of AIDS in our community is just the beginning. We must also join together with other affected communities to demand a comprehensive solution to the racial and ethnic disparities in our health system, which continue to limit our access to quality treatment options.
But even as we look for ways to address HIV/AIDS within our own community here in the US, we cannot forget about our African and Carribean brothers and sisters, whose situation is even more dire. The United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that last year 2.4 million Africans died of AIDS-related illnesses, while 29.4 million continue to live with the disease. At the epicenter of the pandemic, heavily-affected countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are struggling to provide care and treatment for over a third of their populations. In the Carribean, an estimated 440,000 people are infected with HIV/AIDS, a number that is continuing to climb.
As chair of the Congressional Black Caucus Global HIV/AIDS Taskforce, I have worked very hard, along with the rest of my CBC colleagues, to highlight the issue of AIDS in Africa and the Carribean and AIDS in the African American community. We have pushed hard to make these issues part of the Congressional agenda, and we have aggressively pushed to make them part of the Administration’s priorities. I'm proud to say that as a result of our efforts, the efforts of the activist community and faith-based organizations, President Bush has committed $15 billion in the form of an Emergency Plan for AIDS in Africa and the Carribean. But he can and must do more, starting with an immediate contribution of at least $1.2 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS Tuberculosis and Malaria, this year. I will continue to work very closely with my colleagues to ensure that the President remains committed to addressing AIDS issue in the coming months and years ahead.