African_Americans_&_Battle_Against_HIV_AIDS

African Americans & Battle Against HIV/AIDS African Americans & The Battle Against AIDS & HIV “The beginning of the end of life is when we remain silent about things that matter.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. African Americans make up 14% of the U.S population. The number one cause of death in African Americans in both males and females is HIV/AIDS. Those that are affected by this life taking disease are in the age range of 22 to 45. In a study of young gay men, African American’s accounted for 30% of those who are infected with the HIV/AIDS virus. Our nation’s government has spent millions of dollars for care, prevention and treatments for the past 20 years. Many people, not only the black community, but also others are under the impression that AIDS only effects those in the gay community or those who misuse drugs. This misconception ended when children and those outside of the homosexual community became part of the AIDS death toll. Many blacks that have the disease die alone and often do not seek care with the fear that their families and neighbors will find out their secret and no longer think of them the same way. The church plays a big role in stereotyping african, aids, infected, americans, hiv/aids, disease, american, men, virus, cause, cases, times, risk, people, hiv, health, women, white, one, drug, community, care, blacks, age, 50, whites, reported, number, north, major, likely, increase, heterosexual, gay, even