Fighting the spread of HIV and AIDS has been an uphill battle for over 30 years. This disease has disproportionally affected our community. 1 in 16 African American men and 1 in 32 African American women will be diagnosed with HIV during their lifetime. If Black America were its own country, it would rank 16th in the world for people living with HIV.

Earlier this year, the NAACP Health Department launched a HIV and AIDS awareness campaign and created a faith and social justice manual with faith leaders titled The Black Church and HIV: the Social Justice Imperative. For more information about this Initiative and the manual, please visit Initiative

We are committed to stopping the spread of the disease so we encourage you, your family and the community to get tested. Free testing is available in your area — go here for further information:

HIV Testing site locator

The NAACP National Office is also partnering with units in the following cities and college campuses to host World AIDS Day 2012 events today: Asbury Park, NJ; Augusta, GA; Brooklyn, NY; Hampton University; Jackson, TN; Mesa, AZ; Ocala, FL; Ohio State University; San Bernardino, CA; Texas Southern University; and University of Houston. Please contact your local NAACP unit for more information

Find your local unit

The fight against HIV and AIDS is a fight we can one day win. We must work together to end this insidious epidemic and eradicate this disease.

-----------------------

Roslyn M. Brock, Chairman, NAACP National Board of Directors