National Survey Asks “Is HIV/AIDS Viewed as a ‘Black Thing?’”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) August 13, 2007 -- Empowering Everyday Women Online Magazine is conducting a nationwide survey asking the controversial question, “Is HIV/AIDS viewed as a black thing?” You can weigh in on the issue by logging onto http://www.eewmagazine.com. “I want to see how people view this issue, particularly, African American people,” says Dianna Hobbs, Founder and Editor-In-Chief of EEW Magazine, the premier online magazine for African American Christian women.

The idea was spurred on by a recent comment made by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton at the third primary debate between Democratic presidential candidates held at Howard University in Washington, DC, June 28, 2007. She is quoted as saying, "Let me just put this in perspective: If HIV/AIDS were the leading cause of death of white women between the ages of 25 and 34 there would be an outraged outcry in this country." Some may view the remarks as inflammatory, while others, especially those in the African American community, may feel otherwise.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2005, although blacks only make up approximately 13% of the population, they accounted for 49% of the estimated 37, 331 new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the United States in 33 states. To many black Americans, those statistics show that HIV/AIDS is spreading through the African American population at alarming rates.

The issue is unarguably gaining traction when organizations like the 7.5 million strong National Baptist Convention USA, which is one of the nation's largest black religious organizations, finally, after 25 years, tackled the issue for the first time. (http://rodonline.typepad.com/rodonline/2007/06/nations-largest.html)

“HIV-AIDS can’t be ignored any longer,” says Hobbs, who, as a result of another recent survey conducted by EEW Magazine, stumbled across an African American Christian pastor living with the disease.

Hobbs recounts, “We asked thousands of our readers, ‘What does it mean to be an empowered woman?’” This would seem to be a typical question. However, the response could be considered a bit out of the ordinary.

A woman by the name of Andrena Ingram remarked, “I just returned from Nairobi, Kenya where I attended and spoke at the International Women's Summit for HIV/AIDS. It indeed was empowering to see thousands of women coming together to speak up about what it feels like to live with this disease. I myself am a pastor, living with HIV. Freedom to 'speak up and out' is empowering."

Since reading Ingram’s response, Hobbs has been seeking a way to leverage the large volume of readers of EEW Magazine, to help increase awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

“I’m encouraging the readers of EEW Magazine, as well as others, to share their thoughts and opinions in this survey, as a means of helping us bring more awareness to this serious issue that’s plaguing the African American community,” says Hobbs. Some answers will be published in a future issue of the magazine.

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