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Bono Honors King, Preaches Action on AIDS
By SHEILA POOLE
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
Irish rocker and activist Bono called AIDS a "human rights" issue and urged a gathering of AIDS activists at the King Center on Saturday to work with everyone they can to fight the disease.
The invitation-only meeting lasted more than an hour-and-a-half and included Coretta Scott King, U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and comedian and actor Chris Tucker, who has worked closely with Bono's nonprofit organization, Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa Inc. (DATA).
Bono, who has traveled extensively in Africa in a campaign to get medical treatment in the hands of more Africans and to enlist governments to help fight the disease, said AIDS has devastated people around the world.
There is "no time for posturing," he said. "No time for taking a position. You need to work with everybody -- governments, churches, corporations. Everybody."
An estimated 40 million people are living with HIV, according to a report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, or UNAIDS, and the World Health Organization. About 5 million people across the globe were newly infected in 2003; 3 million others died of AIDS.
The role the United States plays to combat the pandemic could change the negative image many people in other countries have of this nation after last year's invasion of Iraq, Bono said.
"There is now a great deal of suspicion about us," he said. The United States "is not necessarily seen as a benevolent force. This is a chance to show what we're about."
Bono praised Lewis for his leadership during the civil rights movement and said Atlanta should also be at the forefront of the movement to fight HIV/AIDS in the United States and worldwide.
He suggested that activists consider pressing the issue this summer when the Group of Eight Summit is held in coastal Georgia. The summit will bring together leaders of the world's leading industrial democracies -- the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia.
The U2 frontman is an admirer of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and was an honoree Saturday night at the 2004 King Center's "Salute to Greatness Awards." He was recognized for his work in Africa on health and trade issues. The other honoree is retailer Target.
Earlier, Bono surprised a packed audience at the 11th Annual Hands On Atlanta Martin Luther King Jr. Service Summit at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Coretta Scott King introduced Bono as being like a son and praised his efforts to combat poverty and AIDS.
She said he was "making a tremendous difference not only in Africa, but the ripples are all over the world."
When he took the microphone, Bono responded by jokingly calling her "Mama."
Bono asked activists to detail their involvement in Africa and questioned them about what they saw as major challenges.
Among those attending were Dr. Alawode Oladele, program director of the Refugee Health Services and Tuberculosis Program at the DeKalb County Board of Health, and Dazon Dixon Diallo, president of SisterLove Inc., a women's reproductive and sexual health nonprofit organization that focuses on HIV/AIDS.
Sandra Thurman, president of the International AIDS Trust and AIDS czar under President Bill Clinton, said celebrities such as Bono must help keep the spotlight on the battle against HIV/AIDS.
"It's important that people get the opportunity to understand how the epidemic in Atlanta and the U.S. is part of the larger global pandemic," she said.
"We need people like Bono to call attention to the fact that ordinary people can make a difference."
The Journal-Constitution is running a photo gallery of Bono in Atlanta that can be accessed at http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/photos/atlanta/0104/bono/image1.html
Bono, Congressman John Lewis and actor Chris Tucker
Bono and Congressman John Lewis walk to the crypt of Dr. Martin Luther King
Bono Honors King, Preaches Action on AIDS
By SHEILA POOLE
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Staff Writer
Irish rocker and activist Bono called AIDS a "human rights" issue and urged a gathering of AIDS activists at the King Center on Saturday to work with everyone they can to fight the disease.
The invitation-only meeting lasted more than an hour-and-a-half and included Coretta Scott King, U.S. Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and comedian and actor Chris Tucker, who has worked closely with Bono's nonprofit organization, Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa Inc. (DATA).
Bono, who has traveled extensively in Africa in a campaign to get medical treatment in the hands of more Africans and to enlist governments to help fight the disease, said AIDS has devastated people around the world.
There is "no time for posturing," he said. "No time for taking a position. You need to work with everybody -- governments, churches, corporations. Everybody."
An estimated 40 million people are living with HIV, according to a report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, or UNAIDS, and the World Health Organization. About 5 million people across the globe were newly infected in 2003; 3 million others died of AIDS.
The role the United States plays to combat the pandemic could change the negative image many people in other countries have of this nation after last year's invasion of Iraq, Bono said.
"There is now a great deal of suspicion about us," he said. The United States "is not necessarily seen as a benevolent force. This is a chance to show what we're about."
Bono praised Lewis for his leadership during the civil rights movement and said Atlanta should also be at the forefront of the movement to fight HIV/AIDS in the United States and worldwide.
He suggested that activists consider pressing the issue this summer when the Group of Eight Summit is held in coastal Georgia. The summit will bring together leaders of the world's leading industrial democracies -- the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia.
The U2 frontman is an admirer of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and was an honoree Saturday night at the 2004 King Center's "Salute to Greatness Awards." He was recognized for his work in Africa on health and trade issues. The other honoree is retailer Target.
Earlier, Bono surprised a packed audience at the 11th Annual Hands On Atlanta Martin Luther King Jr. Service Summit at Ebenezer Baptist Church.
Coretta Scott King introduced Bono as being like a son and praised his efforts to combat poverty and AIDS.
She said he was "making a tremendous difference not only in Africa, but the ripples are all over the world."
When he took the microphone, Bono responded by jokingly calling her "Mama."
Bono asked activists to detail their involvement in Africa and questioned them about what they saw as major challenges.
Among those attending were Dr. Alawode Oladele, program director of the Refugee Health Services and Tuberculosis Program at the DeKalb County Board of Health, and Dazon Dixon Diallo, president of SisterLove Inc., a women's reproductive and sexual health nonprofit organization that focuses on HIV/AIDS.
Sandra Thurman, president of the International AIDS Trust and AIDS czar under President Bill Clinton, said celebrities such as Bono must help keep the spotlight on the battle against HIV/AIDS.
"It's important that people get the opportunity to understand how the epidemic in Atlanta and the U.S. is part of the larger global pandemic," she said.
"We need people like Bono to call attention to the fact that ordinary people can make a difference."
The Journal-Constitution is running a photo gallery of Bono in Atlanta that can be accessed at http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/photos/atlanta/0104/bono/image1.html
Bono, Congressman John Lewis and actor Chris Tucker
Bono and Congressman John Lewis walk to the crypt of Dr. Martin Luther King
