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| Black Celebrities Speak Out on HIV/AIDS by: Herndon L. Davis |
Copyrighted 2006
Herndon Davis is an author, lecturer, and TV/Radio Host of The Herndon Davis Reports. He can be reached
directly at http://herndondavis.com
Herndon Davis is an author, lecturer, and TV/Radio Host of The Herndon Davis Reports. He can be reached
directly at http://herndondavis.com
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In a stunning display of support, unity and crucial dialogue some of America’s most influential black leaders have come
together to contribute to a new anthology focusing upon HIV/AIDS in the African American community.
In conjunction with World AIDS Day 2006 (December 1st), Agate Publishing will release Not in My Family: AIDS in the
African American Community, a revealing compilation edited by lifestyle journalist Gil L. Robertson IV. The book explores
the effects as well as the challenges of HIV/AIDS across black communities.
“Working on this book has been a life altering experience for me,” says Robertson, who pursued this project motivated by
his family’s struggle with the disease. “My older brother and only sibling had lived with HIV/AIDS for more than 20 years.
As I observed the way he and other members of our family learned to positively cope with his illness, I was encouraged to
share our story with others.
However, as I began to encounter others who were dealing with HIV/AIDS, I discovered far too many in the black
community who lived in a state of persistent denial about this deadly condition within their midst. That fact sealed my resolve
to create awareness with this project.”
together to contribute to a new anthology focusing upon HIV/AIDS in the African American community.
In conjunction with World AIDS Day 2006 (December 1st), Agate Publishing will release Not in My Family: AIDS in the
African American Community, a revealing compilation edited by lifestyle journalist Gil L. Robertson IV. The book explores
the effects as well as the challenges of HIV/AIDS across black communities.
“Working on this book has been a life altering experience for me,” says Robertson, who pursued this project motivated by
his family’s struggle with the disease. “My older brother and only sibling had lived with HIV/AIDS for more than 20 years.
As I observed the way he and other members of our family learned to positively cope with his illness, I was encouraged to
share our story with others.
However, as I began to encounter others who were dealing with HIV/AIDS, I discovered far too many in the black
community who lived in a state of persistent denial about this deadly condition within their midst. That fact sealed my resolve
to create awareness with this project.”
Well Robertson’s resolve has definitely paid off as the book’s contributors include a roster of the famous and the influential
such as award-winning singer Patti Labelle, comedienne Mo’Nique, US Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., former US
Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, actor Hill Harper, novelist Omar Tyree, actress Jasmine Guy, US House Rep. Barbara
Lee, actress Sheryl Lee Ralph and also everyday people such as Petra Johnson, a retired teacher and grandmother from
Lansing, Michigan.
But regardless of who they are, they each represent a patchwork of a colorful and vibrant quilt of essays which express a
wide cross-section of ideas, values and beliefs. At a time when approximately 54% of the new HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed
in the U.S. are black and when black women account for 2/3 of new infections among all women, this book appears to be
beyond timely, instead it is destined to become a crucial tool for education, treatment, and prevention.
According to Phill Wilson, founder and executive director of The Black AIDS Institute, he explains that “In 2006 AIDS in
America is a Black disease. The only way for AIDS to be over in America is for AIDS to be over in Black America, and the
only way to stop AIDS in Black America is for Black people to take ownership of the disease and mount a mass Black
mobilization.”
Kim Aderson, excutive director of AID Atlanta agrees, stating that “The Black community needs to hear from families on
the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS in our community. So many people are still largely unaware about what’s going on
and how many people are affected by HIV/AIDS. Given the devastating impact of this disease within the black community,
this project is timely, urgent and long overdue.”
such as award-winning singer Patti Labelle, comedienne Mo’Nique, US Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., former US
Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, actor Hill Harper, novelist Omar Tyree, actress Jasmine Guy, US House Rep. Barbara
Lee, actress Sheryl Lee Ralph and also everyday people such as Petra Johnson, a retired teacher and grandmother from
Lansing, Michigan.
But regardless of who they are, they each represent a patchwork of a colorful and vibrant quilt of essays which express a
wide cross-section of ideas, values and beliefs. At a time when approximately 54% of the new HIV/AIDS cases diagnosed
in the U.S. are black and when black women account for 2/3 of new infections among all women, this book appears to be
beyond timely, instead it is destined to become a crucial tool for education, treatment, and prevention.
According to Phill Wilson, founder and executive director of The Black AIDS Institute, he explains that “In 2006 AIDS in
America is a Black disease. The only way for AIDS to be over in America is for AIDS to be over in Black America, and the
only way to stop AIDS in Black America is for Black people to take ownership of the disease and mount a mass Black
mobilization.”
Kim Aderson, excutive director of AID Atlanta agrees, stating that “The Black community needs to hear from families on
the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS in our community. So many people are still largely unaware about what’s going on
and how many people are affected by HIV/AIDS. Given the devastating impact of this disease within the black community,
this project is timely, urgent and long overdue.”
In many ways “Not in My Family” provides a forum for individuals and families alike to come out of the shadows and to
share their fears, isolation, pain and triumph in dealing with the realities of HIV/AIDS.
In addition African Americans often test positive for HIV well after it has progressed which often makes subsequent
treatment a challenge. So if a book such as “Not In My Family” filled with an assortment of candid discussions about HIV
from recognizable faces and personalities could help ignite individuals to get tested, then potentially it could also save an
untold number of lives.
With support from various HIV/AIDS organizations throughout the country, Robertson plans to extensively tour the book in
order to deliver its message. He adds that “The essays presented in this book remind us of the devastating impact that
HIV/AIDS has had on communities of color.
People, young and old, are dying and yet the black community has by and large stood by and let it happen. Not anymore.
The HIV/AIDS pandemic is one of the most striking developments of this century and this book will help society
understand how and why it has so severely impacted the black community.”
share their fears, isolation, pain and triumph in dealing with the realities of HIV/AIDS.
In addition African Americans often test positive for HIV well after it has progressed which often makes subsequent
treatment a challenge. So if a book such as “Not In My Family” filled with an assortment of candid discussions about HIV
from recognizable faces and personalities could help ignite individuals to get tested, then potentially it could also save an
untold number of lives.
With support from various HIV/AIDS organizations throughout the country, Robertson plans to extensively tour the book in
order to deliver its message. He adds that “The essays presented in this book remind us of the devastating impact that
HIV/AIDS has had on communities of color.
People, young and old, are dying and yet the black community has by and large stood by and let it happen. Not anymore.
The HIV/AIDS pandemic is one of the most striking developments of this century and this book will help society
understand how and why it has so severely impacted the black community.”
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