Word: africanization
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Nowhere is this harsh reality more evident than among African Americans, a special focus of the conference. In 1984 the CDC reported that 50% of all children infected with the virus in the U.S. were African Americans. By 1988, African Americans accounted for 70% or more of the AIDS cases among heterosexual men, heterosexual women and children. These alarming statistics haven't got much better since then. Even now, African Americans have an AIDS incidence and a death rate that are 10 times those of whites...
...part, the problem is misinformation. Explains Dr. Helene Gayle, director of AIDS prevention at the CDC: "First and foremost is the fact that this epidemic got cast as a white disease, particularly a white gay disease, and that lulled people into a sense of denial in the African-American community." The result: too many heterosexual African-American males still think it's perfectly safe to practice unsafe sex with female partners...
...change risky habits? Clearly, as emphasized by counselors from Gay Men of African Descent, an organization based in New York City that advises young adults, it's important to know the cultural heritage of your audience. While it may make sense to recommend that teenagers and young adults use condoms, you must be aware that many young African Americans view them as a challenge to their manhood...
...also hear something else from young African Americans: they are no longer afraid of the disease. After all, they'll tell you, if a celebrity with AIDS like former pro-basketball star Magic Johnson, who has done so much to bring attention to the epidemic, can continue his glitzy lifestyle without any obvious ill effects, why should they worry about the virus? You'll also hear some sophisticated advice. Many youngsters will tell you that showing pictures of the devastation caused by the disease could provide effective shock therapy...
...reaching out to African-American church leaders in the hope that they will use the power of the pulpit to get out the word about AIDS. Let's hope the tactic works. At this critical moment in the AIDS epidemic, what happens next will depend largely on how well we educate--and how well people listen...