November 1, 2007

Black Church Leaders Issue Testing Challenge

At their national conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday, national leaders from the Christian Methodist Episcopal (CME) Church were tested for HIV in front of their congregations in an effort to encourage their 800,000 members and all African Americans nationwide to receive an HIV test (prweb.com, 10/30).

The public testing part of the Black AIDS Institute’s “1 in a Million” Campaign—a Black AIDS Institute call to action encouraging 1 million African Americans to get tested for HIV by December 1, World AIDS Day, 2007.

“It is urgent for the black church to take a leadership role in the HIV/AIDS testing initiative throughout our nation,” says Bishop Henry M. Williamson, Senior Chair of the CME College of Bishops.

According to the CDC, the rate of AIDS diagnoses for adolescents and adults is 10 times that of whites. Today, AIDS is the leading cause of death for black women ages 25 through 34.