North Carolina is ranked 8th among the 50 states in HIV diagnoses in 2015, according to the CDC (2017). The faith community can play a major role in addressing one of the leading drivers for HIV risk among African Americans--stigma. All faith leaders (pastors, ministers, Rabbi's priests, Imam's) should work to create a culture of compassion and open and honest dialogue opposed to silence and condemnation.
I have said it before and still firmly believe that we worked to hard to deconstruct walls of oppression from a civil rights perspective to remain complicit in constructing walls of ignorance and intolerance when it comes to playing an active role in the fight against the spread of HIV and the poor treatment of persons infected with HIV or living with AIDS.
The question remains --what are YOU doing to remove the stigma and increase support for HIV services and infected persons and care providers?
https://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/stateprofiles/pdf/North_Carolina_profile.pdf
