Community HIV testing day in Englewood
The Englewood United Methodist Church, 6400 S. Stewart Ave. in Chicago, will host a National HIV Testing Day event called “Community and Faith Connecting to Sing Praises and Save lives. The event is Sat., June 25, at 4 p.m.
Rev. Harriette Cross, host pastor, welcomes people to the event, which will feature the Flora Robinson Chorale and Friends.
Participating Organizations (still in formation): Come Alive Ministry of Faith; Englewood Advocates of Grace for Lives, Education and Service (E.A.G.L.E.S. – East Side UMC; Englewood UMC; Faith UMC; Grace Calvary UMC; Greater Englewood UMC; West Englewood UMC; Pleasant Green M.B. Church, 140-46 W. 59th St.; Pleasant Green M.B. Church, 7545 S. Vincennes Ave., Rust Memorial UMC); Grand Boulevard Federation; Greater Westside Development Corporation; Making A Daily Effort (M.A.D.E.); 6th Legislative District; Southside HIV/AIDS Resource Providers (S.H.A.R.P.); Teamwork Englewood/
For Information, Call 773-846-9839 (Sylvia Jo)
Another HIV Testing day event will be held on Monday, June 27, 10 a.m. — 2 p.m., at the Ruth M. Rothstein CORE Center, STEP UP – Get Tested. Know Your HIV Status, 1901 W. Harrison St., Chicago, www.corecenter.org/
Free onsite rapid HIV testing and results provided in 10 minutes. Contact: Peter McLoyd, 312-572-4649, pmcloyd@corecenter.org.
June 24 doc screening on HIV/AIDS
In an effort to overcome the stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS, which disproportionately impacts the African-American and Hispanic youth communities, the Chicago Black Gay Men’s Caucus (CBGMC) and McDermott/Haymarket Center are banding together to present A Mirror to the Heart: Breaking the Stigma of HIV/AIDS, a documentary highlighting HIV prevention activities and the personal experiences of youth who are taking leadership roles in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The screening will be held at 6:30 p.m., Friday, June 24, at McDermott/Haymarket Center, 932 W. Washington, Chicago.
Sponsored by the Illinois Department of Public Health Center for Minority Health Services and BASUAH (Brothers And Sisters United Against HIV/AIDS), the documentary will be followed by a discussion led by a panel of experts. Taskforce Prevention and Community Services will provide HIV testing. This free event is open to the public. To learn more, go to www.mirrortotheheart.com.
The panel discussion will be moderated by Christian Castro, the program director of the Latino Commission on AIDS, a program that assists Hispanic-serving organizations and coalitions to address the needs of the emerging HIV-positive population.
Others who will be on the panel will be Alan D. Johnson, adolescent research director of the DePaul University School of Public Health; Stephen Armstead, OVAH! Program outreach coordinator for the Center on Halsted; youth activist and artist KOKUMO; Andre Darey; Leveon Perkins; Jermaine Perry; and Anthony Singleton.
Gina Lathan Whitener, the executive producer of the documentary, will also participate in the event.
The documentary encourages an open discussion about stigma, which is a leading barrier to successful HIV counseling, testing and treatment. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the numbers of youth contracting HIV/AIDS are staggering, especially African-American and Hispanic youth.
In 2009, an estimated 8,294 men and women of all races and ethnicities age 13 to 24 received a diagnosis of HIV infection, representing about 19 percent of the persons given a diagnosis that year. African Americans were disproportionately affected, accounting for about half of all HIV infections. Hispanics accounted for about 15 percent.