Opinion Pieces Discuss HIV/AIDS Among Blacks, Minority Women
Summaries of opinion pieces related to minorities and HIV/AIDS appear below.
- George Curry, Philadelphia Inquirer: "There is no question that African-Americans are disproportionately represented among the ranks of those with HIV and AIDS," Curry, a columnist for the Inquirer, writes. In the column, Curry discusses a report released by the Black AIDS Institute that "paints a portrait of what black America would look like if it were a separate country." According to Curry, the report showed that there are more blacks living with HIV in the U.S. than the total population in seven of the 15 nations in the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief program, which provides $3 billion annually to nations most affected by the virus. Curry writes, "Some worry that not enough money is being spent at home." He says that PEPFAR spending, for example, increased by 46% in 2007 compared with a 2.5% increase for domestic HIV/AIDS spending. For 2008, global HIV/AIDS spending is expected to increase by 34%, while domestic spending will increase by 1.2%, he adds (Curry, Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/7).
A Newsmaker interview with Phill Wilson of the Black AIDS Institute is available online.
- Don Bruner/Jackie Dozier, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: "An integrated approach to preventing HIV and sexually transmitted [infections] is needed in communities of color, particularly women who engage in sex with heterosexual male partners," Bruner, director of Women HIV/AIDS Initiatives at Black Men Latino Men Health Crisis, and Dozier, executive assistant at the organization, write in a Democrat and Chronicle opinion piece. "Federal policy continues to exclude the role of heterosexual men in the transmission of HIV infection and [STIs] to women," according to Bruner and Dozier. They write that the National Women and AIDS Collective in recent years issued recommendations to make improvements raising awareness of the issue and that BMLMHC has piloted an intervention and prevention program targeting minority women. According to Bruner and Dozier, "The need for increased prevention services for women, especially women of color, has been clearly demonstrated and documented," but "most policies and services at the federal, state and local levels have been crafted primarily for men." Actions by NWAC and BMLMHC are examples of efforts to "right that wrong," they conclude (Bruner/Dozier, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, 8/7).