Black Ministers Unite to End HIV, AIDS Discrimination; Churches Should Be Source of Comfort

A group of black ministers hoping to change the reaction people with HIV/AIDS get in their churches, as well as to stem the spread of the virus, last week listened to people with HIV/AIDS talk about how the disease has changed their lives. Many of those ministers have pledged to preach on the topic, said the Rev. Arthur Cribbs, pastor of the Christian Fellowship United Church of Christ in Emerald Hills.

"The black church will not stand on the sidelines while black people are dying," he said, reiterating a pledge signed by about 40 ministers who have united to battle the epidemic. The effort, which brings together black preachers, health workers and HIV/AIDS activists, signals a change in how churches deal with an issue they have ignored for years, in part because HIV is acquired through unprotected sex and intravenous drug use, said Cribbs. Because the church is such a central part of African-American life, ministers have a duty to give their congregants accurate information about how the disease spreads and how it can be prevented, said the Rev. Angela Ware. Cribbs said Ware's group coordinated a June conference in Alabama that inspired five San Diego ministers in attendance to bring together local black preachers on this topic.

In the United States, blacks represent half of all AIDS diagnoses. Although they are 6 percent of San Diego County's population, blacks account for nearly 16 percent of AIDS cases. Pastors who believe this disease has not touched their congregations are deceiving themselves, Cribbs said. "We may not have the virus ourselves, but we are still affected by the virus," he said.

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