WHEREAS, AIDS is the leading cause of death for African Americans aged 25 to 44, greater than homicide, heart disease, and accidents combined;

WHEREAS, it is estimated that 300,000 to 500,000 African Americans are already infected with HIV; and, in less than four years, African Americans will account for the majority of all people with AIDS in the United States;

WHEREAS, African Americans account for over half of all children with AIDS, over half of all women with AIDS, and one-third of all men with AIDS; and,

WHEREAS, HIV/AIDS has a direct and devastating economic, social, and emotional impact on our communities and families and is inextricably linked to other socioeconomic maladies.

Now, therefore, we call on our community, our families, members of religious congregations, schools, businesses, political and cultural groups, the criminal justice system, and community-based organizations to join together in a national emergency effort to better inform African American families about HIV/AIDS prevention education, care, and treatment issues, including the following actions:

Specifically, we call upon African American athletes; entertainers; artists; businesses; health clinics; hospitals; and social, cultural, educational, religious, and labor leaders -- in addition to federal, state, and local governments -- to support, develop, and enhance community-based programs developed by African Americans for their communities at the local level; and

We call upon African American elected leaders and government officials to become actively engaged in HIV/AIDS prevention and public policy issues; and

We call upon our communities and leaders to address and speak out against homophobia, sexism, racism, addiction, and "addicti-phobia"; and

We call upon the Congressional Black Caucus to hold hearings and take a leadership role on the impact of HIV/AIDS on our community; and

We call upon journalists to place HIV/AIDS as a critical issue in reporting news items that affect our communities; and

We call upon our national organizations to place HIV/AIDS at the top of their policy agendas, and to become actively engaged in public policy and community efforts to ensure fair access to all treatment and care services for African Americans affected by HIV/AIDS.

FURTHERMORE, we affirm the responsibilities of federal, state, and local governments, and all branches thereof, to address HIV/AIDS in a fair and equitable manner; and

We appeal to the President of the United States to convene an emergency meeting of the appropriate cabinet-level officials and community leaders to address AIDS within African American communities; and

We appeal to African American local elected officials to join together with advocates and persons with HIV/AIDS to create specific strategies for protecting the health of those impacted by HIV/AIDS, and other chronic diseases, as they implement Medicaid, health care, and welfare reform; and

We appeal to all African American, and other, public office-holders to inform the community specifically regarding their policies and actions in support of HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and research.

FURTHERMORE, we acknowledge the important role that individual, corporate, and private philanthropy has had on improving the lives of all Americans affected by HIV/AIDS.

THUS, we appeal to the Council on Foundations, the Association of Black Foundation Executives, Funders Concerned About AIDS, and other philanthropic interests to join together and create a special committee to address enhancing HIV/AIDS research, prevention, care, and treatment within communities of color; and

We acknowledge the challenge of these difficult issues, we welcome the expertise of those communities historically affected by HIV/AIDS, and we welcome all to join us in prayer, education, advocacy, and political action.

FINALLY, we call upon all African Americans to reach out, hand in hand, to others locally and globally, to advocate, care, and affirm our commitment to the health of our communities. If we fail, our children will face the upcoming millennium with sorrow in their hearts, rather than the hope of a new generation. And, we will have to ask, "Did we do all we could to stop the deaths and the devastation?"

Our communities deserve our leadership!