Press Release: A DAY WITH THE STARS - CELEBRITIES NEEDED TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL BLACK HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY –
Post date: Jan 16, 2015 11:52:53 PM
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: January 15, 2015
#GOMOJO
Contact: Michele Reed
T:702-635-4813 E: Michele@themojobags.com
A DAY WITH THE STARS
- CELEBRITIES NEEDED TO SHOW SUPPORT FOR
What does President Barack H. Obama (during his term as Illinois Senator), Congressman Elijah E. Cummings; Tony Dungy; Idris Elba; Kimberly Elise; Lance Gross; Hill Harper; Taraji P. Henson; Tom Joyner; Congresswoman Barbara Lee; Chris Bridges (aka Ludacris); Percy Miller (aka Master P); Tangi Miller; Patrik-Ian Polk; General Colin Powell; Sheryl Lee Ralph; Gloria Reuben; Romeo; Rev. Edwin Sanders; Tavis Smiley and Congresswoman Maxine Waters all have in common? They have all served as spokespersons for National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD), recognized on February 7th of each and every year, since 2000.
“National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day represents an opportunity to remember our lost love ones, empower our communities, and impact our future,” says Nycal Anthony-Townsend, President of Alliances for Quality Education, Inc., and Chair of the NBHAAD Strategic Leadership Committee. “We want to transform awareness into action across the nation, which is why we ask that you Get Educated, Get Tested, Get Involved and Get Treated, if needed! This year marks the 14th observance of NBHAAD and we see a growth in mobilization among our churches, homes, businesses, and government agencies, but we must not stop there. So, we will continue to lead the charge from the back, while our spokespersons, community change agents and policy leaders work to create a brighter future without HIV/AIDS.” The NBHAAD Strategic Leadership Committee is looking for local, national and international celebrities to lend their voice, time, resources and talent to help mobilize Blacks around HIV/AIDS.
With startling statistics hitting the Black community each and every year, it is easy to see why we need celebrities and community activists to lend their support; and hopefully everyone in the nation will follow suit. Of all racial and ethnic groups in the United States, HIV and AIDS affects Blacks the most. In 2009, an estimated 16,741 Blacks were diagnosed with AIDS in the US, a number that has slowly decreased since 2006. By the end of 2008, an estimated 260,800 Blacks with an AIDS diagnosis had died in the US. In 2007, HIV was the ninth leading cause of death for all Blacks and the third leading cause of death for both Black men and Black women aged 35–44.
Although NBHAAD is a nationwide effort, organizers are focusing efforts on key cities with the highest HIV/AIDS cases to ensure that Black communities realize the epidemic is not slowing; and is picking up steam in certain parts of the country. Some of those cities include Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Newark, New York, Oakland, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham, San Francisco, Trenton and Washington, D.C. NBHAAD is directed, planned and organized by a group known as the Strategic Leadership Committee who partners with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to mobilize communities and address specific issues in regards to local epidemics and best practices that are science based and will influence the course of HIV in Black communities across the country.
For more information on National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, visit: www.NationalBlackAIDSDay.org.
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