LyricalDrug
Rock n' Roll Doggie
Cool... the B-man is in the east bay today!
That means there's a good chance he'll be at Glide Memorial Church on Sunday morning
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OAKLAND
Bono, Rep. Lee help raise black AIDS awareness
Jason B. Johnson, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, March 2, 2007
Bono. Associated Press file photo, 2006, by Seth Wenig Barbara Lee. Chronicle photo by Michael Macor
International rock star and social activist Bono will turn the focus of his global campaign against AIDS to the local level today when he visits Oakland to join Rep. Barbara Lee and church leaders to foster greater AIDS awareness among Bay Area African Americans.
The presence of Bono, who has lobbied heads of state and raised millions to buy badly needed AIDS drugs for countries in the developing world, will "shine a spotlight" on what the disease is doing to the black community, Lee said. The meeting is not open to the public.
The lead singer of the Grammy-winning band U2, Bono has made the fight against AIDS in Africa a high-profile issue, especially with young people.
"His coming to Oakland is an opportunity for him to learn about what this global pandemic looks like here in the United States," the Democratic legislator said, "and not only learn about our efforts to fight it, but contribute to them."
Lee said education and outreach efforts by nonprofits and government agencies "have not received the attention that they deserve." She said the black church needs to be part of the effort.
Since the mid-1990s, the face of AIDS in the United States has gone from that of gay white men to that of African Americans. The majority of new HIV infections are among African Americans, as are the majority of those who die from AIDS.
Since 2003, African Americans have comprised the largest portion of AIDS cases in Alameda County. Of the more than 6,800 AIDS cases diagnosed in Alameda County from 1980 to 2005, 44 percent were in African Americans, according to the county Department of Public Health's 2005 AIDS Epidemiology Report.
Those battling the disease hope to stem the spread by making at-risk people more aware of methods of transmission and prevention and by removing the stigma associated with AIDS.
"The clergy and the faith community play a critical role in the African American community, and there is no way that our efforts to stop this disease can succeed if they are not involved in the effort," Lee said.
Bishop Bob Jackson of Acts Full Gospel Church in Oakland said he's going to be part of the meeting and is eager to hear what help Bono can give.
"I really don't know what Bono's going to be able to add, but I'm hoping that it will raise the consciousness that we still have a tremendous war going on, not only in Iraq, but here at home," Jackson said.
Gloria Cox-Crowell, co-chair of the AIDS ministry at Oakland's Allen Temple Baptist Church, said she's excited about the visit.
"It's great that Bono is coming because it brings more attention to HIV, both globally and nationally," she said.
Cox-Crowell said it's been easier to get people motivated to fight AIDS overseas at a Zimbabwe orphanage the church supports than here in the United States. "We can get folks to write a check in a snap to pay for the medication of a child for a year, but not for efforts here," she said.
Lee said public awareness has been raised recently, especially with events such as the recent International AIDS Conference in Toronto and new education efforts by civil rights groups, but that funding has lagged behind at a critical time.
"We need more resources," Lee said. "The Minority AIDS Initiative has been flat-funded since President Bush took office. Fighting this disease can't just be a priority for the black community, it has to be a priority for the nation."
That means there's a good chance he'll be at Glide Memorial Church on Sunday morning
----
OAKLAND
Bono, Rep. Lee help raise black AIDS awareness
Jason B. Johnson, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, March 2, 2007
Bono. Associated Press file photo, 2006, by Seth Wenig Barbara Lee. Chronicle photo by Michael Macor
International rock star and social activist Bono will turn the focus of his global campaign against AIDS to the local level today when he visits Oakland to join Rep. Barbara Lee and church leaders to foster greater AIDS awareness among Bay Area African Americans.
The presence of Bono, who has lobbied heads of state and raised millions to buy badly needed AIDS drugs for countries in the developing world, will "shine a spotlight" on what the disease is doing to the black community, Lee said. The meeting is not open to the public.
The lead singer of the Grammy-winning band U2, Bono has made the fight against AIDS in Africa a high-profile issue, especially with young people.
"His coming to Oakland is an opportunity for him to learn about what this global pandemic looks like here in the United States," the Democratic legislator said, "and not only learn about our efforts to fight it, but contribute to them."
Lee said education and outreach efforts by nonprofits and government agencies "have not received the attention that they deserve." She said the black church needs to be part of the effort.
Since the mid-1990s, the face of AIDS in the United States has gone from that of gay white men to that of African Americans. The majority of new HIV infections are among African Americans, as are the majority of those who die from AIDS.
Since 2003, African Americans have comprised the largest portion of AIDS cases in Alameda County. Of the more than 6,800 AIDS cases diagnosed in Alameda County from 1980 to 2005, 44 percent were in African Americans, according to the county Department of Public Health's 2005 AIDS Epidemiology Report.
Those battling the disease hope to stem the spread by making at-risk people more aware of methods of transmission and prevention and by removing the stigma associated with AIDS.
"The clergy and the faith community play a critical role in the African American community, and there is no way that our efforts to stop this disease can succeed if they are not involved in the effort," Lee said.
Bishop Bob Jackson of Acts Full Gospel Church in Oakland said he's going to be part of the meeting and is eager to hear what help Bono can give.
"I really don't know what Bono's going to be able to add, but I'm hoping that it will raise the consciousness that we still have a tremendous war going on, not only in Iraq, but here at home," Jackson said.
Gloria Cox-Crowell, co-chair of the AIDS ministry at Oakland's Allen Temple Baptist Church, said she's excited about the visit.
"It's great that Bono is coming because it brings more attention to HIV, both globally and nationally," she said.
Cox-Crowell said it's been easier to get people motivated to fight AIDS overseas at a Zimbabwe orphanage the church supports than here in the United States. "We can get folks to write a check in a snap to pay for the medication of a child for a year, but not for efforts here," she said.
Lee said public awareness has been raised recently, especially with events such as the recent International AIDS Conference in Toronto and new education efforts by civil rights groups, but that funding has lagged behind at a critical time.
"We need more resources," Lee said. "The Minority AIDS Initiative has been flat-funded since President Bush took office. Fighting this disease can't just be a priority for the black community, it has to be a priority for the nation."
