AHF to Commemorate MLK Holiday at Parades and Through Free HIV Testing Events Across the Country

“AIDS Is A Civil Rights Issue” wrapped bus to debut at LA’s MLK
parade; tour during Black History Month

LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will commemorate the Martin Luther King
Jr. holiday observed on January 18 by participating in MLK parades and
hosting free HIV awareness and testing events in almost a dozen U.S.
cities across the country, including Los Angeles, CA; Ft. Lauderdale,
FL; Miami, FL; Atlanta, GA; Baton Rouge, LA; Cleveland, OH; Biloxi, MS;
Jackson, MS; Columbia, SC; Dallas, TX; and Ft. Worth, TX.

AHF will celebrate the holiday at the following events:

As African American and Latino communities continue to be
disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS in the United States, AHF
advocates and its MLK parade contingents will continue to promote the
message that “AIDS Is A Civil Rights Issue” and that access to care and
treatment for HIV/AIDS should be a universal human right. According to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 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.

“One of the most enduring legacies of Martin Luther King Jr. is the way
he encouraged everyday citizens to take a stand in their communities for
social justice and equal access to jobs, economic opportunity, housing
and health care,” said Christopher Johnson, chair of the AHF
Black AIDS Crisis Taskforce (ABACT). “Despite the strides we’ve made in
many important socioeconomic areas, statistics show that HIV/AIDS is
ravaging black and brown families from coast to coast today, especially
in the Southeast where stigma and lack of access to care remain major
factors to overcome. From the streets of Atlanta to the halls of
Congress, we must keep pressure on our local, state and national elected
leaders to direct needed funding and resources to those who are on the
frontlines in the fight against HIV/AIDS in the communities of color.”

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, as well as to
  condoms and safer sex educational opportunities.
• 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 sexual 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.

“AIDS Is A Civil Rights Issue” wrapped bus to
debut on MLK Day in Los Angeles; tour during Black History Month

Making its grand debut on MLK Day and kicking off a tour of stops at
commemorative Black History Month events in California, Texas, and
Georgia, AHF will also unveil its new converted open-air bus wrapped
with the “AIDS Is A Civil Rights Issue” artwork featuring an archival
image of Martin Luther King Jr. leading a march of sign-wielding civil
rights activists during the 1960s Civil Rights Movement.

AHF launched its “AIDS Is A Civil Rights Issue” billboard and public
awareness campaign in February 2014 to coincide with the 50th
anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and held a year of town hall
discussions in eight U.S. cities that were headlined by Rev. Al
Sharpton. In August, AHF held its “Vote 2 End HIV” concert featuring
Rev. Sharpton, Patti LaBelle and rapper Common at the FOX
Theatre in Atlanta to commemorate the 50th anniversary of President
Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and draw attention
to health disparities that continue to affect communities of color.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS
organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over
500,000 individuals in 36 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
and Instagram: @aidshealthcare

Contacts

AIDS Healthcare Foundation
Ged Kenslea, Senior Director,
Communications
+1.323.308.1833 work
+1.323.791.5526 mobile
gedk@aidshealth.org
or
Christopher
Johnson, Associate Director of Communications
+1.323.960.4846
work
+1.310.880.9913 mobile
christopher.johnson@aidshealth.org