For Immediate Release
February 21, 2014
Contact Information

AHF
Ged Kenslea
Senior Director, Communications
+1-323-791-5526 mobile
ged.kenslea@aidshealth.org
or
Kyveli Diener
Communications Coordinator
+1-323-960-4846 w
310-779-4796 mobile
kyveli.diener@aidshealth.org

(BPRW) Reverend Al Sharpton Headlines a "˜Day of Action' on "˜AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue' at Holman United Methodist Church, West Adams, Sun. Feb. 23rd

- Los Angeles-area "˜Day of Action' is a part of AHF's new national "˜AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue' campaign. Events start Sunday at 11am with a church service (live on KJLH) at Holman United Methodist Church featuring a keynote address by Reverend Al Sharpton and remarks by L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, followed by a town hall panel discussion from 1pm to 3pm exploring the fact that African Americans & Latinos continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS. Day culminates with a concert at 4pm. -

(BLACK PR WIRE) – LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In response to the fact that African American and Latino communities continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has embarked on a new national “AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue” public awareness campaign intended to highlight this health disparity as well as to emphasize the fact that access to HIV prevention, care and treatment for HIV/AIDS should be universal.

As part of its campaign, AHF has teamed locally for a Los Angeles-area ‘Day of Action’ on Sunday, February 23rd with area partners including Pastor Kelvin Sauls and the Holman United Methodist Church (the location for the Day of Action), KJLH-Radio, NAACP-LA Chapter, as well as with the group, In The Meantime Men whose mission is, to enrich, empower, and extend the lives of intergenerational black men, respectful of sexual orientation, through social, educational, health and wellness programs and services.”

The ‘Day of Action’ takes place Sunday, February 23rd from 11am until approximately 4:30pm. The events—which take place during Black History Month and during the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964—include a church service (broadcast live on KJLH Radio) at Holman from 11am to 12:30pm with a keynote address by Reverend Al Sharpton and remarks by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti. The church service will be followed by a ‘AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue’ town hall panel discussion (1pm-3pm) moderated by KJLH Radio’s Dominique DiPrima and featuring Hydeia Broadbent, an HIV/AIDS activist & humanitarian HIV-positive since birth as well as several respected local community, political, heath, religious and HIV/AIDS leaders exploring the fact that African Americans & Latinos continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS. The ‘Day of Action’ will culminate with concert featuring the Holman Choir on site in the sanctuary at Holman at 4pm.

WHAT: ‘AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue’—a Day of Action
CHURCH SERVICE (With KJLH Choir)—11:00 am-12:30 pm
Speakers: Rev. Al Sharpton & remarks by Mayor Eric Garcetti
TOWN HALL/PANEL DISCUSSION—1:00pm-3:00pm
CONCERT—4:00pm, Holman Choir (Holman Church Sanctuary)

WHEN: Sunday, February 22nd, 11:00pm to 4:00pm
WHERE: Holman United Methodist Church/Pastor Kelvin Sauls
3320 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90018

WHO: KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Reverend Al Sharpton, Civil Rights Leader and remarks by Hon. Eric Garcetti, Mayor, City of Los Angeles
Leon Jenkins, President, NAACP—LA Chapter
Michael Weinstein, President, AIDS Healthcare Foundation
‘AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue’ PANELISTS:
Hydeia Broadbent, HIV/AIDS activist & humanitarian, HIV-positive since birth
Kelvin Sauls, Pastor, Holman United Methodist Church
Cecil ‘Chip’ Murray, Senior Fellow, the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at USC and former Pastor, First African Methodist Episcopal Church
James M. Lawson, Former Pastor, Holman United Methodist Church and longstanding American civil rights activist and university professor
Gabriel Maldonaldo, CEO/Executive Director TruEvolution & HIV Campaigner In the Meantime Men’s Group
Claudia Spears, Mother of an HIV-positive individual & activist
Samantha Granberry, Senior Director, AHF Worldwide

M.C. & PANEL DISCUSSION MODERATOR: Dominique DiPrima, KJLH Radio

MEDIA AVAILABILITY with REVEREND SHARPTON & other dignitaries—12:10pm–12:30pm
White Hall, Holman United Methodist Church campus
NEWS DESKS: Please note that MEDIA CREDENTIALING IS REQUESTED

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Ged Kenslea, Senior Director, Communications, AHF +1.323.791.5526 mobile ged.kenslea@aidshealth.org

Kyveli Diener, Communications Coordinator, +1.323.960.4846 w, 310.779.4796 mobile kyveli.diener@aidshealth.org

Currently African Americans account for 44% of all people with HIV/AIDS in the United States, yet only account for 12% of the population. Latinos account for 21% of all new HIV infections nationwide, yet only represent 16% of the U.S. population.

Disproportionately high numbers of HIV/AIDS cases among communities of color may be caused by several factors, including:

• Lack of access to clinics for care and HIV testing.

• High levels of stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS in these communities prevent people from learning their HIV status, or from seeking care and speaking honestly with their partners if they know they are positive.

• Both society and the healthcare industry have marginalized members of these communities both on account of sexual orientation and race, blocking essential treatment, care, and education for those who need it.

“Our ‘AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue’ public awareness campaign is intended to open dialogue with stakeholders in the community, the public health arena, and faith-based groups as well as public officials about health disparities and the importance of universal access to HIV prevention and care and treatment,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “We are honored to have Reverend Sharpton and our esteemed partners lend their voices to this important cause and discussion.”

“We honor our ancestors and give thanks for the sacrifices that they made to persevere through the struggle and protect our human rights, standing tall and firm so that all may experience equality in our daily walk. The Negro Spiritual provides us with the history of an iron-shaped faith that can facilitate synergy between a God of inclusivity and equality,” said Reverend Kelvin Sauls, Pastor of the Holman United Methodist Church. “The power of history is unleashed when it shapes a legacy that navigates us towards a destiny that continues to reflect the boldness and integrity of our ancestors. Leveraging the vision of our ancestors articulated through song, and in collaboration with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the NAACP-LA Chapter and the In the Meantime Men’s Group, Holman United Methodist Church is committed to playing a catalytic role in facilitating a robust and relevant strategy of progressive synergy between civil rights and accessibility, dignity and equality towards a more just and fair society.”

AHF’s ‘AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue’ Billboard Campaign Running Now in Atlanta; Washington, DC; Columbus, OH; Baton Rouge, LA; Jackson, MS; South Florida and Los Angeles

Over the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday weekend in January, AHF launched its innovative national ‘AIDS is a Civil Rights Issue’ billboard campaign. AHF’s billboards are intended to serve as a reminder of the fact that African American and Latino communities continue to be disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS compared with their respective percentages of the overall population. The campaign also hopes to send the message that access to HIV prevention and care and treatment for HIV/AIDS should be a universal human right. The billboard campaign is running now in Atlanta; Washington, DC; Columbus, Ohio; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; South Florida and in Los Angeles. In most of the cities, the campaign will also be posted as transit shelter ads.

AIDS Is A Civil Rights Issue!

Please join us and a multitude of faith-based communities in illuminating and fighting the persisting bias against communities of color as we collectively strive to lower the incidence of HIV/AIDS, and together we can ensure all communities have equal access to the tools we need in this fight.

About AIDS Healthcare Foundation

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to more than 282,000 individuals in 32 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20140221006003/en/

Source: AIDS Healthcare Foundation

View this news release and multimedia online at:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20140221006003/en