Featured
To Fight the HIV Epidemic, We Need the Black Church
By Dr. Marjorie Innocent
Black Churches are more than places of worship. They are the vibrant hearts of the African-American community that bring the Gospel into our lives, inspire faith, grace, love and mercy and foster a deep commitment to service. For centuries, Black Churches and faith leaders have been at the forefront of the struggle for civil rights, including voting rights and the right to a quality education. And we need the Black Church’s leadership for another adversary: HIV.
Make no mistake: Our nation is facing an epidemic that is ravaging our community from coast to coast. Today, HIV affects African Americans more than any other racial or ethnic group in the country. While we represent just 12 percent of the population, we account for 41 percent of people living with HIV in the United States. This is truly unacceptable.
As part of The Black Church & HIV: The Social Justice Imperative initiative, the NAACP is asking churches across the nation to observe Day of Unity on Sunday, July 23 and preach from the pulpit about HIV as a social justice issue.
African Americans must fully acknowledge the scope of this epidemic and recognize the hundreds of thousands of brothers and sisters it has taken from us. In fact, we account for more than half of deaths attributed to HIV/AIDS according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Like many who grew up in the Black Church, I look to my pastor for guidance in my faith and all paths of life. It is vital that faith leaders take the lead in this fight, committing to educate, engage and motivate their congregations to take positive action to end the HIV epidemic, especially in our communities. Overall, about one in 20 African-American men and one in 48 African-American women will be diagnosed with HIV during their lifetimes; and 44 percent of all new HIV infections are among African Americans.
This crisis is not just about public and community health: It’s about social justice and institutionalized racism. The numbers are deeply disturbing but not surprising. Such is the scale of the epidemic that nearly all African Americans have a friend, family member, colleague or acquaintance that is impacted by HIV. I am no exception. That’s why in 2011 the NAACP partnered with Gilead Sciences to create The Black Church & HIV initiative to develop a national network of African-American faith leaders who will address the disproportionate impact of HIV on Black Americans.
The NAACP is committed to helping enlist faith leaders from around the country to break the stigma surrounding this disease, engage in meaningful conversation and education with their congregants, provide compassionate support and spiritual guidance to those living with HIV, and encourage Black Churches to take action through a social justice lens.
As the NAACP gathers in Baltimore from July 22nd – 26th for its 108th National Convention, the importance of joining us in the fight against HIV must be a message that participants will organize around in their own communities and churches. As someone whose faith is central to her life, I ask our shepherds-our faith leaders-in the African-American community to grasp this unique opportunity to have a significant, positive impact in the fight against HIV.
We must break the silence about the dangers of HIV and the scope of the epidemic, educate our communities about prevention and advocacy and stop the growth of this disease once and for all. With the commitment of our faith leaders, I believe this is a fight we can win.
Dr. Marjorie Innocent serves as Senior Director of Health Programs at the NAACP and is responsible for the management of the NAACP’s policy and programmatic agenda to reduce health disparities. For more information, visit NAACPConvention.org. Contact: Malik Russell, director of communications, mrussell@naacpnet.org, 410-580-5761 (office)
Activism
Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024
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Alameda County
DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland
Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.
Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.
City Government
Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Special to The Post
At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.
Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.
Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”
According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.
“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”
When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.
At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”
While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.
On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.
“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.
The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.
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