Moving Upward and Onward: The documentary and the HIV/AIDS movement
What’s going on!
There have always been times when we were at a political or cultural crossroads. When we should be focusing on some issues and other things take over. In midst of the White House Summit on AIDS and its Impact on Black Men, the World Cup took over the media’s attention. When we should have been lining up for the National HIV Test Day or attending Iris House’s Women as a Face of AIDS Summit, LeBron James fever began. Even on the day of the Oscar Grant verdict , the King James press conference for his next multi guzillion dollar deal took over the airwaves. Now, a CDC report which has been recently released during the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, has determined that race and poverty is linked to HIV infections in the African American community. This report, as well as the first ever National Action AIDS Plan developed out of the White House, was released with little fan fare outside the HIV/AIDS community. In relations to poverty, the CDC reports, “It has always been driven by social determinants of health: socioeconomic status, high rates of sexually transmitted diseases, high rates of incarceration, man sharing (knowingly and unknowingly) due to gender imbalances, lack of access to healthcare, lack of a regular health provider and low HIV literacy. These overlap significantly with the issues driving the AIDS epidemic in poor communities of all races.”
So what do we with all this information and how do we maximize it. How do we develop clarity in the midst of all this chaos??? We take a deep breath, move a step back and then push on through. We push on, when folks don’t want to listen, when you feel like you are not getting through, when funders don’t get it and when the film community fails to see the value and importance of your project, with all that you keep pushing through.
Where are we at now!
We launched our website during the week of the National HIV Test Day in late June of 2009. Now, one year later and through a combination of our website, our Facebook page and our Twitter page, we have posted several blogs, articles and links related to the AIDS epidemic globally, nationally and locally. We’ve also worked hard to provide you with update to date information about research and studies relating to HIV/AIDS in communities of color. And we will continue to do so.
Where do we go from here!
What you can expect in the next few months is a change in title of our documentary, an online fundraising campaign in the Fall and a few fundraising events. We will be adding more clips to all our media portals and hopefully, more photos as well. Many events happened throughout the AIDS community this summer and we want to plug you into the discussion. Therefore, we also hope to be partnering with more AIDS organizations as well, so you, our supporters are part of the national dialogue on not only HIV/AIDS but other issues related to the epidemic. This way, we can get a full picture of this disease and how it connects to other areas in the lives of people of color. You can also expect us to continue to provide more articles and AIDS prevention and awareness information. AIDS awareness is crucial, especially as it is estimated that more than one million people are living with HIV in the USA and that more than half a million have died after developing AIDS. According to Avert.org, “During the 1990s, the epidemic shifted steadily toward a growing proportion of AIDS cases among black people and Hispanics and in women, and toward a decreasing proportion in MSM, although this group remains the largest single exposure group. Black people and Hispanics have been disproportionately affected since the early years of the epidemic. In absolute numbers, blacks have outnumbered whites in new AIDS diagnoses and deaths since 1996, and in the number of people living with AIDS since 1998.”
So how can you help???
Share the information that we offer, even if it doesn’t speak to you, you never know how it might touch or inform another person. We find, because of shame and stigma, a person may not share their status. Also, someone who is not infected, might not think about how the virus might affect them. So, keeping our community informed about some of the most basic information can help save a life.
Spread the word about the documentary, encourage a friend, associate or family member do one or all three of the following:
1. Become a Fan on our Facebook for Seen, But Not Heard
2. Join our website http://theuntoldwar.urbanmediawarrior.com/
3) Follow us on Twitter at UrbanMediaWarrior
And lastly, let’s us know how we are doing. The best way to keep us on our toes and help us improve, is to talk to us. Let us know if you like what we are doing or if the information we are providing is connecting to you. Help us serve you better. When you communicate to us, it not only helps give you more of what you want but it also demonstrate to funders and the power brokers that we are reaching our audience and they are hungry for information that is intelligent and respectful. Let them see that there is value in our work and the resources we provide. Talk to us, so we can talk to them!
We can do this! We can put a dent in this disease! We can help lower the infection rates, we can help get more people tested and into treatment, if necessary. We can work together to save our lives! So, let get to work!!! And thanks for your support!
