Demanding a Higher Expression of Love, Black Harvard Students Release Call to Action for Black Youth to Get Involved in Fight Against AIDS

Black Harvard Students release call-to-action to black youth around the globe to get involved in fight against HIV/AIDS, starting with the Unite Against AIDS Summit to be held at Harvard on April 22 and 23.

Canbridge, MA (PRWEB) February 16, 2005 -- This Valentines Day, black students at Harvard did not ask for chocolates, flowers, or candy. To celebrate the holiday of love, students from the Harvard Black Mens Forum (BMF) and the Association of Black Harvard Women (ABHW) released a call-to-action to black youth around the world to get involved in the fight against the HIV/AIDS crisis that is wreaking havoc on Africa and in black communities throughout the globe. This call-to-action, written by two sophomores at Harvard, Oludamini D. Ogunnaike and Kaya N. Williams, is the first public statement to be released by the organizers of the Unite Against AIDS Summit: HIV/AIDS in Africa and the African Diaspora and is located on the Summit website at www.uniteagainstaids.org (the full text of the statement is attached).

The statement signifies on the themes of Valentine's Day to pose a challenge to black youth around the globe to live up to a higher calling of love and be involved in efforts to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS. It also brings attention to the rapidly approaching Unite Against AIDS Summit, co-sponsored by the Harvard Black Men's Forum, Harvard AIDS Coalition, and Harvard African Students Association. The Summit is also supported in advisory roles by the Nelson Mandela Foundation, Kaiser Family Foundation, Global Fund, and such luminaries as Bishop Desmond Tutu and Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

The Summit, to be held April 22-23, is unprecedented in that one of its primary goals is to facilitate the mobilization of black students and youth in HIV/AIDS advocacy. HIV/AIDS is the crisis of our generation. We believe that all youth have an interest in fighting this pandemic. Unfortunately, black youth, a group with a particular stake in the issue of AIDS in Africa and the African Diaspora, have been historically underrepresented in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The "Unite Against AIDS" summit aims to mobilize black youth and to incorporate this constituency into the broader student HIV/AIDS movement, creating a new and effective coalition for advocacy.

The summit will consist at least two major parts: a one-day HIV/AIDS conference and a fundraising creative semi-formal. Negotiations to host a concert that weekend are also underway. The centerpiece of the weekend, however, the conference on April 23rd, at which BMF, HAC, HASA, and other student groups will host a series of panels, presentations, and displays delving into specific aspects of the HIV/AIDS crisis across Africa and the African Diaspora. These events will feature prominent leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS, including South African Nobel Prize nominee Zachie Achmet and Boston-area minister Rev. Eugene Rivers, who will address the crisis from a variety of political and professional perspectives, spark critical dialogue, and educate youth about the HIV/AIDS pandemic and responses to the crisis.

Contact Information:

For Interviews and Information Please Contact:

Brandon Terry

Chairman, Media Committee

Unite Against AIDS Summit

President Emeritus, Harvard Black Mens Forum

(443) 421-3307

http://www.uniteagainstaids.org

Email: uaa@hcs.havard.edu

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