AIDS Day, In February? Black Community Responds to Health Crisis

Feb. 8, 2007 — -- Phil Wilson has lived longer than anyone expected.

"I turned 50 this year and it wasn't supposed to happen," Wilson said. "When I found out that I was HIV positive, people died in six months if they were lucky. I'm not supposed to be here but I am."

He was diagnosed 26 years ago with the HIV virus, and as an African American he is part of a startling statistic for those suffering from the disease. While 12 percent of the U.S. population is African American, 54 percent of the reported new AIDS cases are in the black community.

So Wilson has made it his life's work to help others. In 1999 he founded the Black AIDS Institute because as he puts it, "my purpose is to do everything in my power to end the AIDS epidemic."

The group advocates testing and treatment options, and supports a special day to educate this community and try and change those statistics.

While the world observes AIDS Awareness Day in December, an additional day was created to specifically target the black community. Feb. 7, 2007 marked the seventh annual National Black HIV/ AIDS Awareness Day, to raise knowledge and awareness about the disease.

Can one day of education and awareness help prevent new cases? Is it enough to stop this so-called epidemic? Wilson thinks there is hope to turn this trend around and is determined to target specific people who can carry out his message.

"As I look at National Black HIV/ AIDS awareness, I hope to generate a wakeup call for our leaders, I hope to encourage mothers and fathers to have conversations with their children, I hope to reach clergy, so that tomorrow or next Sunday they realize what a critical role they play in fighting this epidemic," he said.

In the two decades that he has lived with the disease, it has continued to ravage the African American population in the U.S.. Last year it ranked as one of the top 10 leading causes of death for the group, according to the National Center for Health Statistics 2006 Report.