Alarmed by reports of 10 new cases of HIV in Onondaga County, the Black Leadership Commission on AIDS hosted a summit of local clergy to do something about it.
Reverend Gale Sampson-Lee explained, "The spikes we have seen now is just a recognition...of what we have recognized in the public health industry all along, that the epidemic in the black community has not ceased."
According to the Centers for Disease Control, African-Americans comprise 12 percent of the U.S. population,but 45 percent of new infections. The CDC reports that African-American teens represent 69 percent of HIV/AIDS cases in that age group, and that the HIV rate overall is 7 times higher for blacks than whites.
The clergy at Friday's conference say it's time for local churches to become more involved. Chauncey Brown of the True Vine Baptist Church told CNY Central's Jim Kenyon, "as I read the word of God, the bible talks about sex. If the bible talks about sex, why aren't we talking about it?
One reason HIV infections are rising is society's changing attitude about the disease, mainly because of advancements in the treatment of AIDS. Sampson-Lee however points out, "HIV/AIDS, although treated by drug cocktails, is not curable. There is no cure for AIDS."
But to reach out to their congregations, the religious leaders may have to go beyond their message of abstinence. Reverend Brown said, "Studies show that, yes in the churches young people who are part of our churches, prolong having sex longer than others. However when they do, they get pregnant at a higher rate, they get STI's (sexually transmitted infections) at a higher rate. So our message of 'don't do it' has been good. But when they do it, we haven't told them how to do it safely."
The Black Leadership Commission is working on an HIV/AIDS curriculum that they will present to the Syracuse School District. Such a school curriculum should stress four elements, A-B-C-D:
A - Abstinence
B- Be faithful to your partner.
C- Condom usage
D- Don't do risky behaviors.
For more information about the Black Leadership Commission on AIDS: http://nblca.org/
