For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Jessica Allen, Director of Community Action Partnerships
347.533.4300/917.202.0544
African American Leaders Gather at Medgar Evers College
to Discuss the State of HIV/AIDS in the Community
On Friday, February 3, 2012, African American leaders from across New York State gathered at Brooklyn’s Medgar Evers College for a National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day leadership breakfast. The gathering, organized by the Watchful Eye, a Brooklyn-based HIV organization, provided an opportunity for community leaders to discuss the devastating impact the epidemic continues to have on the African American community. Among the attendees was the Rev. Al Sharpton, who served as keynote speaker, Dr. William L. Pollard, president of Medgar Evers College, clergy, and representatives from the New York City Department of Health, and community based HIV service organizations. HIV testing was made available on the campus grounds.
 Named in honor of Medgar Evers, the civil rights field secretary for the NAACP, the college setting provided an ideal backdrop for conversation surrounding an epidemic that has been described as a modern-day civil rights issue in the African American community. Evers was murdered in June of 1963 as he entered his home because of his simple belief that African Americans should enjoy the same civil liberties as other Americans.
Leaders, including Senator John L. Sampson, Senator Erik Adams, Senator Velmanette Montgomery, Assemblywoman Annette Robinson, Assemblywoman Inez Barron, Councilmember Charles Barron, Councilmember Larry Seabrook, Councilmember Letitia James, Rev. Robert Waterman, Rev. Chauncey Brown and Brooklyn North Chief Gerald Nelson among others, travelled from as far away as Syracuse, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, New York, and the city’s five boroughs to be a part of the gathering that also included a special salute to Detective William Jenkins and Officer William Manderson of the 81st Precinct Community Affairs Division. At the meeting they expressed the need to keep HIV/AIDS at the forefront of the public health conversation while committing themselves to do even more to sound the alarm about the devastating HIV/AIDS is having in their communities.
Rev. Sharpton, in his delivery, challenged the gathering to be new and innovative leaders in the face of HIV/AIDS. He stated, “We either have to be part of the solution, or get out of the way of the people who are trying to make a difference. We can’t just sit by and wait for the next Martin Luther king Jr. to come along to save us! What Dr. King did was appropriate for the time he lived in, now we have to do what’s right to keep us alive today!”
Divinah (Dee) Bailey, Founder and CEO of Watchful Eye stated, “Rev. Sharpton has been a consistent supporter in our community’s fight against HIV/AIDS. We are grateful that he joined us to offer his insight, and to help remind our leadership that aside from the funding and other resources that are needed, the fact of the matter is that HIV infection is 100 percent preventable. No one from this moment on ever has to be infected with HIV. We believe that if individuals are aware of their HIV status, they can and will begin to affect the changes in behavior that will stem the spread of HIV in our communities.”
Statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) consistently show that African Americans, who comprise a mere 14 percent of America’s population, account for the highest incidence of HIV infection and AIDS mortality across the country. The severity of HIV/AIDS in New York State’s African American communities was magnified in 2008 when the CDC announced that the number of annual HIV/AIDS infections in the United States was severely unrepresented for more than a decade, by as much as forty percent.
For more information on National Black HIV/AIDS Day please visit www.blackaidsday.org. For information on the Watchful Eye please visit www.ourwatchfuleye.org
20 YEARS LATER, EARVIN “MAGIC” JOHNSON CONTINUES TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE
Who can believe that it was twenty years ago, Nov. 7, 1991, that Earvin “Magic” Johnson, one of the greatest basketball players of all time, star of the Los Angeles Lakers for 13-seasons who led the team to five championships, three-time NBA "Most Valuable Player" and 12-time All-Star team member, announced to the world that he was HIV positive.
Johnson was the first major sports figure who we came to associate with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, which 20 years ago was still a relatively new epidemic. His selfless revelation forever changed the way we talked about the disease. Before his declaration, HIV was believed to be a virus that only affected gay men. Johnson’s announcement changed that misconception. He elevated HIV from the ambiguous whispers of someone who knew someone who had it, to a face that we all recognized who had been infected. Magic Johnson made HIV and public health a much more palatable dinner table conversation.
Divinah Bailey, Founder and Executive Director of the Watchful Eye and Earvin “Magic” Johnson attend HIV awareness event in New York.
This week, in recognition of the 20 years since his HIV revelation, Johnson, through his Magic Johnson Foundation launched a new initiative “Magic Johnson 20”. The initiative, a partnership between the Magic Johnson Foundation and community based organizations, utilizes mobile testing vans in Los Angeles, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Maryland, New York, Virginia, Washington and Chicago to educate about the epidemic while promoting testing. Additional information on the program and where the free testing is being offered in each city can be found at http://www.magicjohnson.com/foundation/hiv_chart.html
As a community based organization, with the mission of mobilizing communities around HIV testing, the Watchful Eye remains forever grateful to Magic for the strength, courage, and perseverance he has shown over the past two decades. His ability to spearhead and support programs that help to bring the challenges of fighting HIV to the forefront of the public health conversation has been instrumental in reducing the silence, stigma, and shame that negatively impacts a community’s efforts to halt its spread.
Over the past 20 years, Magic has not just been one of the many faces of HIV, he has been a steadfast ambassador in raising attention to the impact of the virus. His message has taken him from Brooklyn to the streets of Harlem, New York where he has always taken the time to talk with individuals and groups about the importance of knowing one’s HIV status. Consequently, the Magic Johnson Foundation’s partnership with hundreds of community based organizations has been key in ensuring that HIV does not spread unabatedly across America, and the world.
As a sportsman Magic’s commitment to providing entertainment showed us early on that he was a true leader on the court. He allowed us to dream big, and to believe that anything was possible, whether it was winning a championship or otherwise. Today Magic continues to show us the way off the court. There is no doubt that his commitment to problem solving and winning any challenge he sets his mind to is an inspiration to all of us. Magic has moved beyond the basketball court to become a team leader in the fight against HIV and AIDS. True to his name, he continues to amaze us with his dedication to eradicating HIV and AIDS.
Earvin “Magic” Johnson has made a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS. He is living proof that with early detection, we can fight, and win, the battle against HIV and AIDS in our communities. Twenty years have passed since that monumental day that changed the way we talk about HIV/AIDS. And today we simply want to say, “Thank you Magic, for continuing to be a team leader, and showing us how we all have a position to play in the battle against HIV and AIDS.”
If you would like more information on this topic, or to schedule an interview with Founder and Executive Director, Divinah Bailey - please contact:
Jessica Allen - Director, Community Action Partnerships
Watchful Eye
20 New York Avenue, Suite 100
Brooklyn, NY 11216
PHONE: (347) 533-4300
FAX: (347) 533-4303
Divinah "Dee" Bailey
Watchfuleye Founder
Email:watchfuleyedb@aol.com
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 A growing number of Brooklyn clergy who head African-American and Latino congregations have opened their church doors for AIDS testing to help stop the spread of the disease across the borough.
More than 26,000 people are infected with HIV/AIDS in Brooklyn - and in the past five years clergy have stepped up to give testing and outreach despite the disease's stigma, experts said.
"Choir members and clergy and parishioners are not exempt from getting HIV," said city Health Department Assistant Commissioner for HIV Dr. Monica Sweeney. "About five years ago when I talked with many black clergy members, I tried to get them on the same agenda and they said, 'We can work on the diabetes but not HIV.' Now they're stepping up." Brooklyn has the fastest growing number of HIV-infected people in the city.
In 2008, more than 1,000 Brooklyn residents were diagnosed with the disease - and many of them were infected for up to 10 years before finding out.
Most of those residents were African-American or Latino and from neighborhoods like Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights, where 2% of the population is living with HIV/AIDS, city data show.
Earlier this month, the Health Department put together 52 community groups in Brooklyn to offer free testing and outreach. Of the 52, 23 are churches.
The Rev. Robert Waterman, head of the Antioch Baptist Church on Greene Ave., said he takes an HIV test in front of his fellow clergy colleagues to ease whatever preconceived notions they may have about the disease.
"If you're afraid to get tested, it's likely you can be a carrier," said Waterman. "We cannot continue to stay silent on this silent killer."
This week the city launched its "Brooklyn Knows" ad campaign, putting up posters in subways and in store windows urging residents to get tested.
"More of the faith-based leadership is coming to the table now because the reality has hit home," said Michelle Lopez, 43, an AIDS outreach worker from Canarsie who contracted the disease two decades ago - and passed it on to her now 21-year-old daughter.
"There's more of a notion to provide HIV and AIDS testing because their congregations are being impacted," Lopez said.
Dee Bailey, who founded Watchful Eye, a Bed-Stuy group that works with 78 Brooklyn chuches training pastors to do AIDS outreach and testing, said more pastors have become willing to get involved to stop the epidemic.
"Pastors aren't just going by bedsides to pray," said Bailey. "We've come a long way, but we have a long way to go to get more faith-based leaders involved."
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