| FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE - August 24, 2006
Contact: Rudy Carn, NBGMAC Chair
Email: rcarn8aesm@aol.com
Contact: A. Cornelius Baker, National Policy Advisor
Email: acorneliusbaker@hotmail.com
Public Service Announcement
PSA
NATIONAL BLACK GAY MEN’S ADVOCACY
COALITION
LAUNCHES NATIONWIDE MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
WASHINGTON, DC, August 24, 2006: The National Black
Gay Men’s Advocacy Coalition has launched a nationwide membership
drive. Over the next four months, the coalition will be working
to establish a nationwide network of individuals, community groups,
scientist and health officials who are committed to addressing the
exceptionally high rate of HIV infection among black gay men.
"We want to work with everyone who believes
the lives of black gay men matter. We are especially committed to
building a strong network of black gay men across this country who
are advocates for their own lives,” stated Rudy Carn, the
coalition’s chairman, in announcing the membership drive.
Carn is the executive director of National AIDS Education and Services
for Minorities, Inc. based in Atlanta, Georgia.
The Coalition reports that the catalyst for their
formation was data released in June 2005, by the CDC reporting that
46% of black gay men were found to be HIV positive in five cities.
The cities were Baltimore, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San
Francisco. Other studies have confirmed rates of HIV infection among
black gay men in the U.S. that are among the highest of any population
in the world.
“The advocacy necessary to reverse the startling
trends of HIV in black gay men takes resources and because we have
seen so much devastation here in San Francisco, the AIDS Foundation
wanted to be among the first to join this effort,” stated
Ernest Hopkins, the director of federal affairs at the San Francisco
AIDS Foundation and the coalition’s policy committee chair.
The AIDS Foundation joined the coalition with a $10,000 contribution.
According to Cornelius Baker, a long time leader
and advocate in the fight against HIV/AIDS and the coalition’s
national policy advisor, "If we are to be successful it will
take all of us working together, not apart. Those in community,
government and the healthcare sectors must begin to coalesce and
work together or HIV will become a permanent stain in our nation.
Our community cannot afford to be silent and our nation cannot afford
to fail this effort.”
The coalition has established a sliding scale for
memberships from individuals, community based organizations and
state and local health departments. In the coming weeks, the coalition
will also be initiating partnerships with the corporate and foundation
community to sustain its efforts. The coalition will not accept
federal grants or contracts. Information on membership in the coalition
is available at www.nbgmac.org.
Earlier this summer, the coalition moved into space
donated by Us Helping Us, an organization dedicated to addressing
HIV among black, gay men headquartered in Washington, DC.
The National Black Gay Men’s Advocacy Coalition
is committed to improving the health and well-being of Black Gay
Men through advocacy that is focused on research, policy, education
and training.
For more information, please visit: www.nbgmac.org
For a membership application click
here.
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