New York: Clergy to Lead AIDS Battle Among Blacks

"Prevention is absolutely vital" in dealing with HIV/AIDS in the African-American community, former New York City Mayor David N. Dinkins told the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (NBLCA) Thursday in Buffalo. "We don't have a cure or a magic bullet, but we do have ways to prevent AIDS," noted Dinkins, who was New York's first black mayor. "Folks need to understand that one in 50 black males is infected with HIV, as well as one in 160 black females. We need to come together as a community on AIDS."

As board chair of NBLCA, Dinkins welcomed the clergy-led formation of the Buffalo chapter, one of 17 the commission plans to establish throughout the United States. Founded in 1987, NBLCA is the nation's largest African-American organization dedicated to HIV/AIDS prevention in the black community. "Our organization is going to bring people together on the AIDS crisis," vowed Dinkins, who championed the issue during his tenure as mayor in the early 1990s.

Officers of the Buffalo chapter include the Rev. Roderick Hennings, chair, and the Rev. Natalie P. Alford and the Rev. James A. Lewis III, vice chairs. Executive committee members are the Rev. Arthur Boyd, the Rev. Robert Lowe, the Rev. Dexter F. McIlwain and former Deputy Assembly Speaker Arthur O. Eve.

Back to other news for April 13, 2004