Is The Black Church Silent On The Issue of HIV/AIDS? If So, Why?

Since the beginning, African-American houses of worship have served as epicenters of their communities and as a loud voice on social justice issues, ranging from poverty to discrimination. The same black church that ushered in the historic victories of the Civil Rights era will stand once again at the forefront of this important social justice issue.

But despite the Center for Disease Control’s alarming findings that the number of new HIV/AIDS infections among blacks is nearly 8 times the rate of whites and double that of Latinos, churches have historically avoided discussion of the disease in order to skirt over taboo topics such as homosexuality and premarital sex.

A conversation about HIV/AIDS must begin in the pulpit and reach the pew so it can reverberate to the streets, and underscore the prevalence of this disease. The Black Health Coalition and our panel of clergy would like to break down the barriers to empowerment in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It will take faith leaders from every state and every denomination to make a dent in this disease.  The discussion will focus on the faith communities task at hand.