Events

New Taskforce Rallies Celebrities to Address HIV/AIDS Crisis in Black Community

Published

11 years ago

February 24, 2015

The national message that Black lives matter somehow has not translated to the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Statistics show that Black and Brown people continue to be disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS nationally, and this demands a new creative response that is timely and effective.

Commemorating the annual National Black HIV/AIDS Day that was started in 1999, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation formed its Black AIDS Crisis Taskforce (ABACT) at a celebrity-filled private champagne brunch in Hollywood, California at H.O.M.E., a Black-owned live jazz supper club.

In collaboration with celebrities and prominent cultural influencers, ABACT will draw attention to national infection rates among African Americans, and the need for intensified efforts to connect African Americans living with HIV to medical care and support.

POST writer Jesse Brooks with actor Jussie Smollett, star of the smash television hit “Empire”. Smollett says when a test audience saw an early scene of his character Jamal in a same-sex kiss with his television boyfriend, ratings plummeted.
“They did not like the scene at all. I’m glad that show creators Lee Daniels and Danny Strong refused to remove it. The show pushes buttons, but is dealing with real issues and rich topics that really resonate within our community.”

Entertainers including Ledisi, B. Slade, Yolanda Adams, Jussie Smollett (plays Jamal on the new Fox show “Empire”) and many others came out to answer the call.

The ABACT event laid the foundation for slowing the rates of HIV/AIDS infections and deaths among Blacks by empowering and encouraging its members and partners to use their platforms to be a relatable voice of support for HIV testing and treatment.

“Whether people are afraid to get tested out of fear of the results or are in denial about their status, stigma and shame is literally killing thousands in our community each year,” said Christopher Johnson, AHF’s Associate Director of Communication and ABACT co-chair.

“The goal of ABACT is to form viable partnerships with cultural leaders in the Black community to create a true sense of urgency around the Black HIV/AIDS crisis, especially among young people who are largely unfamiliar with the early struggle,” Johnson said.

According to CDC reports, Black Americans account for almost half (44 percent) of all people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States, yet they only account for 12 percent of the population.

Black Americans are the least likely of any other race or ethnicity to be retained in medical care to become virally suppressed through anti-retro viral drug therapy after becoming HIV positive.

By encouraging health advocates and cultural influencers to help combat stigma and shame in the African-American community, ABACT’S members believe the deep-seated fear that prevents people from knowing their status and consistently sticking to a treatment regimen can be removed.

Smollett, who portrays a gay character on the hit Fox series “Empire”, knows that addressing the subject of homophobia in the Black community as well as HIV/AIDS is a heavy lift. He was among a panel that discussed how stigma attitudes and silence equals death for African Americans.

Smollett said, “Art can change the world. My character is dealing with real issues, rich topics that really resonate with many.” He says he receives thousands of letters from young people saying they relate to his character Jamal.

Yolanda Adams said, “It’s time to rally the community, the church and the world to make them understand that we have to combat this.”

The taskforce is encouraging community leaders and influential members of the community to join ABACT in combating the spread of HIV/AIDS.

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Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of July 1 – 7, 2026

Published

1 day ago

July 5, 2026

Oakland Post

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Arts and Culture

Prescott Circus Theatre Presents Free Summer Performance Series

Now in its 41st year, the Prescott Circus Theatre is a nationally recognized performing arts education program for Oakland youth. The circus offers safe environments that challenge Oakland youth, through circus arts training, to develop the skills and confidence to thrive on stage, in school, and in life.

Published

1 week ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

Prescott Circus showcase pathways pyramid. Photo courtesy of Prescott Circus.

By Post Staff

The Prescott Circus, Oakland’s longest-running youth circus, is returning this summer with its free shows. Join the Prescott Circus’s young stars as they share their joys and talents through stilt-dancing, tumbling, juggling, and more.

At the heart of this one-hour show, which demonstrates teamwork, pride, and joy, are Oakland Unified School District students ages 8 – 17 from more than 10 different schools

This is accomplished through no-cost school and community programs for more than 300 Oakland youth each year. Performing company members from Prescott, where the program began, perform and make appearances at as many as 40 Bay Area events each year.

The summer program is funded in part by Oakland Fund for Children and Youth, California Arts Council, Port of Oakland, and the West Davis & Bergard Foundation.

Performances will be held Tuesday, July 14, 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. (ASL interpreted) and Wednesday, July 15, 11 a.m., at the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, 1428 Alice St., Oakland. For free reservations go to

https://PrescottCircusSummerShows.eventbrite.com

For group reservations for camps, childcare centers, senior centers, go to www.prescottcircus.org

A community show will be held Saturday, July 18, 2 p.m. to 3 p.m., at DeFremery Park,1651 Adeline St., Oakland.

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Activism

Inaugural Juneteenth Awards Ceremony Celebrates the Fillmore’s Black History, Leadership and Resilience

Addressing more than 100 Black and Asian attendees, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie stated “San Francisco is reliant on the Black community, and we must invest in this community.”

Published

1 week ago

June 26, 2026

Oakland Post

District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, Rev. Dr. Amos Brown, Pastor Emeritus of Third Baptist Church, SF Mayor Daniel Lurie. Photo by Linda Parker Pennington.

By Linda Parker Pennington

The Fillmore Community Ambassadors held its first annual Juneteenth Wesley Johnson White Horse Awards ceremony on June 19 inside the newly reopened Fillmore Heritage Center.

The event featured awards for former San Francisco mayors London Breed and Willie Brown, along with Third Baptist Church Pastor Emeritus, Rev. Dr. Amos Brown.

The Koret Heritage lobby at the newly reopened center at 1330 Fillmore St. held a standing-room-only, culturally diverse and multi-generational audience while the art gallery featured photos of Fillmore community members in action, red Japanese lanterns, art and calligraphy, and Chinese artwork, giving the space a multicultural feel.

Addressing more than 100 Black and Asian attendees, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie stated “San Francisco is reliant on the Black community, and we must invest in this community.”

District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood acknowledged that “the Fillmore community has had a difficult history. Thanks to Rev. Amos Brown’s continuous focus on accountability and resistance, you hold us accountable and continue to inspire us.”

Mahmoud is referring to the Fillmore’s Japanese residents who were forced from their homes and sent to concentration camps during World War II. Black people occupied those homes until the return of their Japanese neighbors and then gave them back, while homes that had been unoccupied were lost. The presence of the Asian community on Juneteenth is a testament to that shared history.

In receiving his honor, Amos Brown elicited a powerful spontaneous call-and-response, where members of San Francisco’s many Black churches proudly shouted out the names: “Bethel AME! Providence Baptist! Jones Memorial! Glide!”

Awards program Master of Ceremonies Shawn Richards of Brothers Against Guns warmly introduced Breed, highlighting her many accomplishments, particularly on “March 16, 2020, when she became the first mayor to shut down a major U.S. city due to COVID-19, saving thousands of lives.”

The audience was captivated by Breed’s emotional speech touching on past traumas, present conditions, and future hopes for the neighborhood where she grew up.

She recalled another trauma of the neighborhood during the City’s redevelopment era in the 1960s, where Black residents were forced to move with a promise of being able to return that was largely unfulfilled.

“We remember when this land was just a field because they bulldozed hundreds of Victorian homes that Black people owned. They built the Fillmore Center, where most Black people can’t afford to live or start their own business. But we are still here.”