Aids and Black people

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Permalink Reply by Erica M. Wilson on September 14, 2008 at 3:03am

A lot of people still believe it's a gay men's disease. So them talking about HIV/AIDS means they have to talk about homosexuality. It also requires a serious talk and serious committment to a life of celibacy and abstience for all single people and unmarried couples. HIV/AIDS is 100% preventable in America. But if people would sit down and listen they would find out that it is killing our young black women, men, and teens so fast it's a shame. One of the deacons in my church is a pharmasict and he said one of the hardest days he's ever had at work was counseling a 14 yr. old girl and her mother on her HIV meds. She was 14. The disease no longer take 6-10 yrs. to develop. It's more like 3-6 months. The Health Dept. will gladly give you the information and come out and do seminars. Our health ministry at church is very good at doing that. Something that they and the Men's Ministry are working is free HIV testing. St. Andrew A.M.E. does it all the time, and they have such long lines. It takes more time to fill out your info than it does to take the test. They swab your cheek and send your results descretely in the mail. I would encourage all churches to do it. If 20 churches could get together and announce that they would be giving free testing on a particular weekend and offer counseling once they receive the results, I think it would make an impact. Something else that we as a community could do is write letters to the wardens of the jails, our senators, congresspeople, whoever that we want the prisons to test inmates for all STDs, especially HIV when they enter the prision, while they are there, and when they are released. Many men who are raped in jail are too ashamed to tell their girlfriends/wives and are unknowingly (some knowingly) infecting them. That's the larget gourp of people catching HIV is black women age 18-35. It's up to us to save us. I'm willing to talk with my church and help get it started. But I know, one little church isn't going to make much of a splash.

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Permalink Reply by Pastor Bryant Whitted on September 14, 2008 at 2:11pm

Thanks, I see that many people share the same about Aids.We have to bring all churchs in our community to slow down this disease,if we don't get real about it blacks will are and will be the most to suffer, thank God for your work there with Aids, I am beginning to talk about this also in our worship because this is just denial and we must put it out in the church. Thank you lets spread this word..Faith without works is dead.

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Permalink Reply by Norma on September 14, 2008 at 1:23pm

Pastor Whitted, there is nothing wrong with this subject except people are ignorant of it. I think the church tends to shy away from any AIDS discussion because many feel it's not something "church-folk" should be discussing. Furthermore, many feel that this is someone else's issue. We need to stop being in denial about this disease and who it is really impacting. I can say that we have an excellent health ministry at Brown. We have discussed this disease and many others as part of our worship services. The message has to brought forward and if not by the church, which exists in every community, then, who?

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Permalink Reply by Pastor Bryant Whitted on September 14, 2008 at 2:21pm

I agree, I think when you have to be real to people about this the church turn away because you have to talk about sex and people run from that, but it's real and it's life,thank God for Brown to take this on, we just have to get all churches in the black community to talk about it,because black are and will be the most impacted by this, Faith without works is dead..let's spread the word.

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Permalink Reply by Vivica Williams on October 10, 2008 at 1:06pm

I am going to an abstinence program at my brothrer's church tomorrow. A lady asked my husband and I to come and talk on relationships. Since he and I are young couples in Christ. The thing I see in our young kids is that they are interested in sex. And I have a teenager now and when it comes to this discussion it is no hold bar in my house. When I was younger AIDS was not as prevalent in our small town community so we didnt have that much to worry about. The only thing we was worried about was not getting pregnant. And yes it did happen to me, but I thank God for it. Because I can stand and tell the young people that it is wrong. Of course the child is not the sin but its the act thats the sin. I know so many people in our communites thats HIV positive until it is scary. I stay in a town that only has1 red light for goodness sakes. But AIDS is at and all time high. My message to the ministers and christians people when you mount that pulpit please dont be afraid to address the issue. Because its not a disease for the homosexuals anymore, but as a result of sexual sins it is a everybody's disease.

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Permalink Reply by William Bell on December 16, 2009 at 10:17am

I thought the number one killer of young blacks was abortion. Since 1973, approximately 18 million black babies killed (murdered) through abortion. It used to be 1 black to 5 white babies aborted. Now, it's approx. 5 black to 1 white. Where are the aids comparison figures? So add those number to the mix.Visit Maafa21.com for more info and do invest the $20 and watch the DVD.

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