This Sunday, February 7th will mark National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). This year, NBHAAD is more urgent because we are facing yet another pandemic.
The same racial inequities that drive HIV disparities among Black people are the ones that are hurting Black communities the most with COVID. Now the vaccine is here. But medical mistrust is one of the barriers for many Black people who are thinking about getting vaccinated.
Building upon years of HIV advocacy and trusted community relationships, the Black AIDS Institute (BAI) are partnering with the COVID Vaccine Prevention Network (CoVPN) to educate Black Americans about the COVID vaccine. The connection and similarities between HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 are substantial, especially in that both pandemics have disproportionately affected Black communities and the last few decades of HIV/AIDS work laid the foundation for the COVID-19 response. Some of the same professionals who worked on HIV/AIDS now are now leading the charge against COVID-19.
This is a video announcement from Raniyah Copeland, President and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute (BAI), speaking to the current situations in Black communities and to the medical mistrust that these communities have, commemorating #NBHAAD and giving three reasons why this year is so special and crucial, and touching on the hopes of what the new US Presidential Administration could mean for efforts in the US.
