Today Is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

Did you know that African Americans account for nearly half of all people living with HIV in the United States?

According to Colorlines.com, if Black America were its own country, we’d be ranked 16th in the world in terms of people living with the disease — ahead of Ethiopia, Botswana and Haiti.

We’ve got a serious crisis on our hands.

From Colorlines:

“But even among black folks, there’s bias, too. And so it is that black gay and bisexual men—or, men who have sex with men in public health parlance—are today at the center of a surging epidemic.

The question, of course, is why? The answers are manifold, but I’ve always used this shorthand: HIV infection rates are an excellent measure for who societies don’t give a damn about. Worldwide, go looking for the worst epidemic and you’ll find the group of people who are hardest hit by a whole host of other bad things, too”

Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. It is absolutely paramount that we raise awareness of the importance of both safe sex and regular STD testing in our communities; it is the best way to protect yourselves and others from getting this disease.

And it’s also important that we battle stigma, and understand how that factors into the spread of HIV in our communities as well.

Respect yourselves and your bodies; practice safe sex and get tested regularly. Know your status, and know your partner’s status as well.

And spread that message around as much as possible.

It’s the only way we’re going to beat this thing.

Read more at Colorlines.com

Why has HIV/AIDS hit the Black Community so hard?

How has the epidemic impacted your life?

Sound off below!