In recognition of the 19th annual National Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS, three prominent Atlantans sat before TV cameras and churchgoers on Sunday to get tested for HIV. NAACP Chairperson Julian Bond and US Rep. John Lewis joined the Rev. Raphael Warnock in the sanctuary of Ebenezer Baptist Church for the public testing, which was conducted in collaboration with the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS, AID Atlanta, and Our Common Welfare.

HIV/AIDS is a “clear and present danger” in the black community, said Warnock. “In Georgia, where African Americans are a mere 30 percent of the population, we account for 76 percent of all statewide HIV infections.”

An “unholy trinity” of silence, shame, and stigma prevents more African Americans from getting tested for the virus, said Warnock. HIV/AIDS’ spread can only be stopped by greater awareness and further education, he added.

According to Warnock, the disease is “a major civil rights issue,” and “there is no doubt that [it] would top Dr. Martin Luther King’s agenda.”

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