Marian Wright Edelman, president of the Children's Defense Fund, right, speaks at the Leading for Life summit, while Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a host, looks on.

"We have come to renew our commitment to fight the spread of HIV. We have come to advocate for the needs of our people who are affected by AIDS. And we have come to call for action."
-- Marian Wright Edelman

Executive Summary

By the year 2000, more than half of all people with AIDS in the United States will be African American. In only three years, an African American will be nine times more likely to have an AIDS diagnosis than a non-African American.

On October 22, 1996, more than one hundred African American leaders gathered at Harvard University to respond to the AIDS crisis in the African American community. Convened by the Harvard AIDS Institute, the National Minority AIDS Council, the Balm in Gilead, the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for Afro-American Research, and the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, the Leading for Life summit gave participants an opportunity to discuss AIDS, one of the worst health emergencies to face African Americans in our lifetime.

The summit was an urgent plea to African American leaders to help raise AIDS awareness among all African Americans. The HIV epidemic affects startling numbers of African Americans. Already, for example, 60 percent of all children with AIDS are African American. Figures such as this show that AIDS is an African American issue. Through Leading for Life, African American leaders can inspire their communities to come together to combat this epidemic.

Effective treatments that slow the onset of AIDS are now available, but cost, difficulty in gaining access to drug assistance programs, and the dearth of service providers specifically working within the African American community prevent most African Americans who need these medical breakthroughs from receiving them. Leaders need to galvanize their communities to help raise not only awareness, but also funds for programs that make prevention and treatment services available to more people.

This report provides an overview of the AIDS crisis in the African American community, establishes the goals of the Leading for Life campaign, and offers a plan of action that can be implemented locally and nationally to improve prevention efforts, services, and health policies. Although defeating AIDS in the African American community will require tremendous commitment and energy, it is a fight that can be won.

Photo credit: David Binder