Actor Danny Glover Calls for Increased Measures To Fight HIV/AIDS Among African Americans
AIDS cannot continue to be "dismissed" as a problem for men who have sex with men, drug users and Africans at the expense of acknowledging that it is also problem for black Americans, actor Danny Glover, goodwill ambassador to the U.N. Development Programme, said on Wednesday in a commentary on NPR's "Tavis Smiley Show." Glover said that while blacks represent one out of eight Americans, they account for more than half of all new AIDS cases in the United States. In addition, two-thirds of U.S. women with AIDS are black. Prevention by "playing it safe, from sex to needles ... works," Glover said, adding that testing and treatment are also important. "But to really end this plague, to save more lives, we need to help in the search for an AIDS vaccine ... [by] volunteering for vaccine trials," Glover said, adding, "[T]he only way to know if an AIDS vaccine will work on black people is for black people to be involved every step of the way." Glover concluded, "More of us need to speak out about AIDS, to volunteer, to tell your mayor or even your relatives to get with the program. Be a hero in the struggle against HIV/AIDS in your community. The life you save may be your own" (Glover, "Tavis Smiley Show," NPR, 4/16). The full segment is available online in Real Player.
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