Demanding a Higher Expression of Love, Black Harvard Students Release Call to Action for Black Youth to Get Involved in Fight Against AIDS
Black Harvard Students release call-to-action to black youth around the globe to get involved in fight against HIV/AIDS, starting with the Unite Against AIDS Summit to be held at Harvard on April 22 and 23.
Canbridge, MA (PRWEB) February 16, 2005 -- This Valentine’s Day, black
students at Harvard did not ask for chocolates, flowers, or candy. To celebrate
the holiday of love, students from the Harvard Black Men’s Forum (BMF) and the
Association of Black Harvard Women (ABHW) released a call-to-action to black
youth around the world to get involved in the fight against the HIV/AIDS crisis
that is wreaking havoc on Africa and in black communities throughout the globe.
This call-to-action, written by two sophomores at Harvard, Oludamini D.
Ogunnaike and Kaya N. Williams, is the first public statement to be released by
the organizers of the Unite Against AIDS Summit: HIV/AIDS in Africa and the
African Diaspora and is located on the Summit website at www.uniteagainstaids.org (the full text of the statement is
attached).
The statement signifies on the themes of Valentine's Day to
pose a challenge to black youth around the globe to live up to a higher calling
of love and be involved in efforts to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. It also
brings attention to the rapidly approaching Unite Against AIDS Summit,
co-sponsored by the Harvard Black Men's Forum, Harvard AIDS Coalition, and
Harvard African Students Association. The Summit is also supported in advisory
roles by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Kaiser Family Foundation, Global Fund,
and such luminaries as Bishop Desmond Tutu and Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
The
Summit, to be held April 22-23, is unprecedented in that one of its primary
goals is to facilitate the mobilization of black students and youth in HIV/AIDS
advocacy. HIV/AIDS is the crisis of our generation. We believe that all youth
have an interest in fighting this pandemic. Unfortunately, black youth, a group
with a particular stake in the issue of AIDS in Africa and the African Diaspora,
have been historically underrepresented in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The
"Unite Against AIDS" summit aims to mobilize black youth and to incorporate this
constituency into the broader student HIV/AIDS movement, creating a new and
effective coalition for advocacy.
The summit will consist at least two
major parts: a one-day HIV/AIDS conference and a fundraising creative
semi-formal. Negotiations to host a concert that weekend are also underway. The
centerpiece of the weekend, however, the conference on April 23rd, at which BMF,
HAC, HASA, and other student groups will host a series of panels, presentations,
and displays delving into specific aspects of the HIV/AIDS crisis across Africa
and the African Diaspora. These events will feature prominent leaders in the
fight against HIV/AIDS, including South African Nobel Prize nominee Zachie
Achmet and Boston-area minister Rev. Eugene Rivers, who will address the crisis
from a variety of political and professional perspectives, spark critical
dialogue, and educate youth about the HIV/AIDS pandemic and responses to the
crisis.
Contact Information:
For Interviews and Information Please
Contact:
Brandon Terry
Chairman, Media Committee
Unite Against AIDS
Summit
President Emeritus, Harvard Black Men’s Forum
(443) 421-3307
http://www.uniteagainstaids.org
Email: e-mail protected
from spam bots
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/2/prweb208914.htm