Seen, But Not Heard: AIDS, Sexual Politics
and the Untold War Against Black Women
a documentary by Cyrille Phipps

In a series of studies recently conducted, it has been determined that bisexual men or men who secretly have sex with men (also know as “down low” men) are not the largest contributor to the increase of infection rates among Black women. On NPR, Dr. Kevin Fenton, the director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) talks with Michele Martin, host of the show, Tell Me More. During the interview, Dr. Fenton talks about the myths and misinformation regarding how HIV is infected among Black women.

Since the infections rates for Black women began to increase in the late 90’s,  it was believed that heterosexual sex with “down low” men, along with drug use were the main causes for the high rates. Now with this new study, it is believed that the majority of infections are caused by heterosexual sex with straight men who have multiple partners (primarily believed to be women).  Although, this might be the case, if men are secretly having sex with other men, is there anyway to really know they are not skewing the results of the study by not admitting who they are having sex with. There is also the other issue of men of color who are entering prison HIV+ and returning home without any treatment. Or the men who enter prison HIV – and return home HIV+ to the same community and set of women they were intimate with before. Men, at least in the New York State prison system, are not allowed to receive condoms.

How is information being tracked and recorded and what preventive methods and/or treatment are we providing women and men who are not practicing safe sex, becoming infected and then spreading the virus. This is where the focus should be, the who and why of being infected becomes secondary once the disease starts to spread and becomes an epidemic.

Say you???

As part of our on-going campaign to get folks tested, especially women of color, Dr. Monica Sweeney explains why it’s important for all women to get tested but specifically married Black women.

There is only so much time in the day and there is no way you will always know where your partner/boyfriend/husband is. And you shouldn’t need to know and more than likely they are faithful and trust worthy.  But if you suspect differently, then you have to decide where your relationship goes from there. More women except sex outside their relationships, even if it’s not a mutually acted on situation, then you would believe. And they may or may not consider it an “Open Relationship,” but if you are in committed relationship and one or both are having sex outside the relationship, then it’s open.  Now, there are women who have no idea that their significant other is having sex outside the relationship.  Maybe, they suspect it or maybe they don’t. In either of these scenarios, you have to act. Having open and frank discussions about sex outside the relationship, is extremely difficult, but necessary. These discussions bring up a lot of anger, hurt and distrust but it’s the first step to changing your sexual behavior in this and future relationships. Both partners need to protect themselves; both partners need to get tested. If you can’t be guaranteed these two basic things then you need to reconsider the person you are sleeping with.

As Dr. Sweeney notes in her article, we need to start talking about how women are getting infected. You need to know your status and protect yourself!

In every major urban city, rural community and suburban town AIDS has a home. It doesn’t matter whether you are straight or gay, white, black, red, yellow or brown, AIDS is right around the corner. For folks who have the highest infection and death rates, primarily Black, Latino and/or gay, your care plays a significant role in your day-to-day life. The services you receive are vital to your survival. In DC as well as New York, a number of agencies and nonprofits have been caught squandering the resources used for housing, food, healthcare and other services needed in at-risk communities.

The organizations who have received hundreds of thousands dollars, even millions have victimized the very people they are suppose to serve. Misappropriation of funds, services promised but not provided, supervisors and specific staff helping themselves out to cash bonuses, gifts and trips while clients and patients lose out of access to services and/or necessary AIDS awareness and prevention information. And when the accused is caught, fingers point to everyone but themselves. Where are the checks and balances in government funding???? Hundreds of organizations have already suffered through funding loss during 8 years of the Bush administration and then more cuts due to the recession. Abusing an ill equipped system only further justifies the lack of trust and confirms the lack of accountability.

This is not to say that all AIDS organizations much less all non-profits misuse their funding. Many organizations are providing incredible services to individuals, groups and families around the country.  What hurts their good work is the selfish acts of a few who threaten the funding opportunities of other groups and the credibility of service based organizations. If any good can come out of this is the creation of a National AIDS Action Plan that has the input of several organizations, agencies, advocates, PWA’s (people living with AIDS), PWLHIV (people living with HIV), healthcare professionals and policy makers to develop a plan that recommends but not necessarily oversees funding, programming  and policy. A plan that can look at the overall system of AIDS services throughout the country, reduce redunancy in key areas, duplicate successful programs, track progress and eliminate or at least reduce waste. A plan that can look a the success and failures of prevention, awareness and care systems around the world and partner with other countries that have similar trends but with better outcomes. We have the resources, technology and research to do a better job. So, hopefully in 5 to 10 years, a HIV+ woman won’t die alone in a park only a few blocks from the HIV/AIDS administration or from resources that could have provided the help she not only needed but deserved.

HIV Awareness and the Congo:

Breaking the Silence

If previous trials of AIDS vaccines hadn’t been so disappointing, the results from the latest trial wouldn’t seem so promising.

Is this the end of HIV/AIDS as we know it. This new discovery is not a cure but it can make significant difference in slowing down the disease. Will this change the direction of AIDS activism and advocacy???

Will this vaccine change AIDS education and awareness. Will there be a push to put money towards a cure instead of prevention efforts. And will it give folks another excuse not to practice safe sex.  How will this change your sexual practices and behavior??? Do we now have a “get out of jail” card if infected!

There are no words that can express my joy and gratitude for the gathering we had at JoJo’s restaurant in D.C. this past Sunday, Oct. 4th. Produced by Colette Williams of Ol Soul Project, a resident of the D.C. area, a fellow SU alum and Delta as well as an incredible singer.

Colie Williams, singer and benefit organizer

She organized a wonderful night of entertainment with local spoken word artists and performers. She even blessed us with two songs, one an original composition of hers that blew everyone away. Our host Kimberly Collins, an acclaimed writer in her own right, helped keep the evening moving along smoothly.

Kimberly Collins, Hostess

The spoken word artists that she introduced were Hari Jones, Khadijah Moon Ali-Coleman, Love the poet and Black Root.

Hari Jones, poet

Khadijah Moon Ali-Coleman, poet

Love the poet

The poets that graced the mic were incredible and I want to thank them all for sharing their talent and time. Each artist dropped jewels of knowledge on subjects as varied as losing a family member to AIDS, love and urban youth, captivating the audience with each word they spoke.

Black Root, poet

We were also fortunate enough to have art donated to us by Sharon J. Burton, an amazing self-taught artist. The two pieces she brought were beautiful as well as moving and thoughtful. We were pleased and grateful to have her assist in our fundraising efforts.

Sharon Butler, artist with two raffle winners

The evening ended with a screening of the trailer for the documentary, which is available as a short documentary in the education market, at Third World Newsreel. The film was well received and we had a lively discussion about AIDS in the Black community. We even met a gentlemen from the Army, who just happened to come into the club, and it was revealed that he was apart of the team that is developing the AIDS vaccine in Thailand. When he stood up and asked to speak, many had no idea where this was going. A friend of mine thought he was going to go Kanye West on us. “Yo, no disrespect! This event is great and all but the one last night was the greatest of all time.” As you can see, it was a wonderful night which was made even more special by our host JoJo’s restaurant, which is also where Colette, also know as Colie, performers every Wednesday night. So, if  you are in D.C. and looking for a great place to eat, listen to some good music and just chill, then JoJo’s your place.

JoJo's restaurant in DC

This was a great night and we hope to have more events like this in the near future. If you are interested in hosting a screening or organizing a fundraising event, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us through our contact us page.

Until then, for your viewing pleasure, we’ve added some photos of the evening so you can get a sense of the spirit of the night!

Syracuse Univ Alum at the screening

Cyrille Phipps, filmmaker

The evening's performers and host

Tony Wafford has taught his three daughters that when they go on a date, they need to be prepared: They carry a credit card, cash for a cab, a cell phone and a condom.

In an article from empower her, a women’s health online site, the dialogue continues about women and their sexual health. The same way you look after your partner/husband/wife, the same way you take care of your children and your parents, is the same way, we as women must take care of all aspects of our health.

“Women should have their partners tested for HIV/AIDS before sleeping with them and should avoid contact with blood or bodily fluids from other people.“

Join the discussion and add your two cents. Let’s take a stand on safe sex and HIV awareness!

Listen to Phill Wilson from the Black AIDS Institute talk about AIDS in Black America and visit the Black AIDS Institute website. They have some great articles about HIV/AIDS in the Black community and how we should address it.

http://www.blackaids.org/

“African Americans, in particular, are more likely to be killed or to die of HIV than others are”

BY DR. JULIANNE MALVEAUX

This is a MUST read! We must ban together and fight for Health Care Reform Now!!! Our communities are most affected and we remain silent!

Please read this article.

http://www.juliannemalveaux.com/downloads/black-folk-must-advocate.pdf