I remember back in 2012 when many in the HIV world were celebrating this new wonder drug called Truvada (PrEP). This new drug was going to be a major tool (their words not mine) in our tool box to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. This magic pill was going to help those at highest risk for contracting HIV/AIDS.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of the reasons why African Americans are at a higher risk of contracting HIV is because we tend to have sex with partners of the same race/ethnicity. Simply put, we tend to have sex with each other, thereby increasing the spread of HIV/AIDS in our community.
It’s been 35 years since the reporting of the first case of HIV in America and it saddens me to say it, but this nation was late at best, in answering the call to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic. What is even more egregious is the deafening silence when it came to supporting HIV education, prevention and care in all communities but even more so in the Black community.
Empire star Jussie Smollett was recently honored by the Black AIDS Institute during their annual “Heroes In The Struggle”(H.I.T.S) gala and awards presentation. H.I.T.S is a photographic tribute to Black Americans and their Allies who have made heroic contributions to the fight against HIV/AIDS.