Supporting the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H. Con. Res. 35 supporting the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness. Established in February 2000, National Black HIV/ AIDS Awareness and Information Day, NBHAAD, is an annual observance day that was created to raise awareness among African-Americans about HIV/ AIDS and its devastating impact on African-American communities.

There is no question that we must continue to mount a massive campaign to support the mission of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, NBHAAD to build the capacity and increase awareness, participation and support for HIV prevention, care and treatment among African- Americans. February 7, 2007 marks the seventh year of this annual event. The day is part of a national mobilization effort to get African-Americans to learn more about the threat posed by the disease, get tested, get treated and make a commitment to fight HIV/AIDS. For this day and everyday forward we must raise our voices to volumes that can be heard across the globe. Unfortunately, for too long we have settled for surviving our tragic losses in silence. But listen to these screaming statistics:

According to CDC estimates, at the end of 2005, African-Americans accounted for 44 percent of all individuals living with AIDS--188,000.

In 2005, African-Americans accounted for nearly 50 percent of all new HIV infections, despite representing only about 12.3 percent of the population, according to the 2000 Census.

In 2005, African-American women represented 66 percent of all new HIV/AIDS cases among women, and were 25 times more likely to be infected than White women.

CDC estimates that 73 percent of all children born to HIV infected mothers in 2004 were African-American.

With an estimated 38.6 million people worldwide living with HIV at the end of 2005, and more than 25 million people having died of AIDS since 1981, NBHAAD serves to remind everyone that action makes a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Let there be no mistake; we are here to acknowledge that AIDS is a deadly enemy against which we must join all our forces to fight and eliminate.

Though I stand here today in recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, Americans should be reminded that HIV/AIDS does not discriminate. With an estimated 1,039,000 to 1,185,000 HIV-positive individuals living in the U.S., and approximately 40,000 new infections occurring every year, the U.S., like other nations around the world is deeply affected by HIV/AIDS.

Mr. Speaker, there is no doubt that AIDS is devastating the African- American community. As of February 2006, African-Americans represented only 13 percent of the U.S. population, but accounted for 40 percent of the 944,306 AIDS cases diagnosed since the start of the epidemic and approximately half, 49 percent of the 42,514 cases diagnosed in 2004 alone. African-Americans also account for half of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses in the 35 States/areas with confidential name-based reporting.

The AIDS case rate per 100,000 population among African-American adults/adolescents was nearly 10.2 times that of Whites in 2004. African-Americans accounted for 55 percent of deaths due to HIV in 2002 and their survival time after an AIDS diagnosis is lower on average than it is for other racial/ethnic groups. HIV was the third leading cause of death for African-Americans, ages 25-34, in 2002 compared to the sixth leading cause of death for Whites and Latinos in this age group.

African-American women and children have been disproportionately victimized by this deadly disease. African-American women account for the majority of new AIDS cases among women--67 percent in 2004; White women account for 17 percent and Latinas 15 percent. Among African- Americans, African-American women represent more than a third, 36 percent of AIDS cases diagnosed in 2004. Although African-American teens, ages 13-19, represent only 15 percent of U.S. teenagers, they accounted for 66 percent of new AIDS cases reported among teens in 2003. We must continue to forge a tough fight to reverse all of these costly trends.

Mr. Speaker, combating this crisis will take a team effort. All of us--researchers, legislators, clergy, community organizers and activists and others--must work tirelessly to find solutions and to help so that our work will bring forth a wealth of wisdom that creates a climate of compassionate care and healing.

Let us go forth as warriors, renewed in our commitment to stand in solidarity with everyone who has been affected by HIV and AIDS, and let us be encouraged in our efforts to comfort the afflicted and confront the passiveness of so many who contribute to the spread of this deadly disease; and let us be

emboldened to speak out in our own communities so that silence may no more mask the ringing alarms of rapidly rising infection rates.

I hope that our inner human spirits will move us to a place and time where we no longer turn our heads and close our eyes to those communities who need our help the most. We must find the strength to look past our fears and find compassion to create a world where no man, woman or child is confronted with the perils of this current AIDS crisis.

Mr. Speaker, I strongly support the goal of NBHAAD to motivate African-Americans to get tested and know their HIV status; get educated about the transmission modes of HIV/AIDS; get involved in their local community; and get treated if they are currently living with HIV or are newly diagnosed.

Let me take this moment to recognize a major inspiration for NBHAAD, Mr. Louis E. Harris, 1947-2003, who passed away in January 2003 due to complications with bladder cancer. Mr. Harris served as the executive director of Concerned Black Men, Inc. of Philadelphia during NBHAAD's conception. His work and dedication will be missed along with his kind and warm words of encouragement. It is hoped that NBHAAD will continue to build the capacity of community based organizations, CBOs, as well as community stake holders to increase awareness, prevent HIV and get those who need treatment into care. I applaud the efforts of NBHAAD advocates to:

1. Increase reporting of accurate up-to-date statistics on the HIV and AIDS epidemic among Blacks by electronic and print media, radio and television stations;

2. Increase collaboration and sharing of resources at the national and local levels;

3. Increase resources and support including capacity building assistance for health departments, community based organizations and stakeholders serving Black communities; and

4. Increase the number of Blacks at high risk for acquiring HIV that receive HIV counseling, testing and other HIV prevention, treatment and care services.

Observance of this day provides an opportunity for governments, national AIDS programs, churches, community organizations and individuals to demonstrate the importance of the fight against HIV/ AIDS. Though funding for research is an important key to tackling the tragic devastation of HIV/AIDS in our communities, I realize that providing funding for research alone is simply not sufficient to eradicate the high rates of HIV/AIDS cases within the African-American community. We must also provide funding for prevention and education.

Billions and billions of private and Federal dollars have been poured into drug research and development to treat and ``manage'' infections, but the complex life cycle and insane mutation rates of HIV strains have made these efforts futile in the fight to remove HIV/AIDS as a global public health threat. Though the drugs we currently have are effective in managing infections and reducing mortality by slowing the progression to AIDS in an individual, they do little to reduce disease prevalence and prevent new infections.

A thousand drugs that ``manage'' infection will not suffice. We can make and market drugs until we have 42 million individually tailored treatments, but so long as a quarter of those infected remain detached from the importance of testing, we have no chance of ending or even ``managing'' the pandemic. Currently, the only cure we have for HIV/ AIDS is prevention. While we must continue efforts to develop advanced treatment options, it is crucial that those efforts are accompanied by dramatic increases in public health education and prevention measures.

During my time in office, I have fully and eagerly supported all legislation that has given increased attention to HIV/AIDS, including the Ryan White CARE Act, which is currently slated to receive about $2.2 billion in funding for FY2007. I have supported legislation to reauthorize funding for community health centers--H.R. 5573, Health Centers Renewal Act of 2006--including the Montrose and Fourth Ward clinics right here in Houston, as well as supported legislation to provide more nurses for the poor urban communities in which many of these centers are located--H.R. 1285, Nursing Relief Act for Disadvantaged Areas. I have also supported and introduced legislation aimed to better educate our children--H.R. 2553, Responsible Education About Life Act in 2006) and eliminate health disparities--H.R. 3561, Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act and the Good Medicine Cultural Competency Act in 2003, H.R. 90. And I will continue to endorse and push for similar legislation.

Twenty-five years from now, I hope that we will not be discussing data on prevalence and mortality, but rather how our sustained efforts at elimination have come into fruition. But if we are ever to have that discussion, there are a number of actions that we must take right now. We must continue research on treatments and antiretroviral therapies, as well as pursue a cure. And we absolutely have to ensure that everyone who needs treatment receives it. In order to do this, we have to increase awareness of testing, access to testing, and the accuracy of testing. How can we stop this pandemic if we are unable to track it?

We must also increase funding for local health departments and community health clinics, as well as fully fund the Ryan White CARE Act. Lastly, but perhaps most importantly, it is imperative that we work to increase funding for HIV prevention and education, so that our children will be equipped with sufficient and appropriate knowledge of this growing threat within our communities, especially within our Black communities and among Black women. If Blacks are 11 times as likely to acquire infection, then we need to make 11 times the effort to educate. And we need to apply similar efforts in every community until HIV/AIDS becomes a memory. If not, our friends and family will be memories instead.

I would like to take a moment to applaud the enormous efforts of community volunteers from churches and other organizations which have done commendable work across our Nation. I think everyone can learn something from their selflessness and their will to serve their communities. We need more people to follow their lead. We do not have time for excuses or hesitation. We have the passion and dedication, and we are securing more and more resources. It is up to us to get the resources where they are needed. I know a lot of people don't want to take things seriously until it hits home; until a brother or a sister or a son or a daughter falls victim to our blithe and ignorance. We cannot afford nor do we want to bear that cost; however, if we continue to sit by and wait for the next person to act, we may all have brothers and sisters and sons and daughters with HIV/AIDS.

We need to be proactive and act with unprecedented urgency. Now is not the time to get comfortable. If you feel like you're getting comfortable, just remember that there is a face to every number, to every statistic. This is not a hypothetical or theoretical or metaphysical phenomenon. There are no imaginary numbers in this equation; only real people. And I am confident that we can protect and save real people with increased efforts.

I will continue work tirelessly to keep the spotlight on this dark disease that is devastating many people in the African-American community, United States and around the world. My hope is that all of our efforts will lead to the elimination of HIV and AIDS not just from the African-American community but from every community. I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 35 supporting the goals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

Mr. Speaker, first let me thank the gentleman from New York for yielding, Mr. Towns, for your leadership, and for managing this bill today, which is very important for not

only my community but for your community and for all our communities throughout the country. And I want to thank Mr. Dingell, also Mr. Burgess, for your leadership and for your support for this effort.

Also let me thank our staff for helping us bring this bill to the floor. Especially I want to thank our leadership's staff, Mr. Towns's, Mr. Burgess's, Mr. Dingell's staff, Mr. Barton's staff; as well as my staff, Christos Tesentas, for their very competent and their very effective work. This is not a Democratic or a Republican issue. It is a bipartisan issue. And our staffs have really exemplified, I think, the best of what staff can do to work together on something this important.

Two days from now, on February 7, we will commemorate, and it is unfortunate that we have to commemorate this, the seventh National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, a day when we urge African Americans to get educated, to get involved, and to get tested.

The numbers are startling, Mr. Speaker, especially for African American women. According to the CDC, in 2005 African American women accounted for 66 percent of all new HIV/AIDS cases among women, and this is climbing as we speak. It is probably now closer to 70 percent. And we are 25 times more likely to be infected than white women. Today, AIDS is the number one cause of death among African American women between the ages of 25 and 34. Think about that for a minute. The number one cause of death. Young women.

Black gay men are also affected by this disease. A recent CDC study found, and this was in 2005 again, that 46 percent, 46 percent, of black gay men in five U.S. cities were HIV positive.

This is simply outrageous. These statistics are quite staggering.

At the end of last year, we took a positive bipartisan step forward to address the spread of HIV and AIDS among the African American community by ensuring the Minority AIDS Initiative, initiated by a great leader on this issue, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and Donna Christensen in 1999. We were able to finally formally include this in the Ryan White CARE Act. Now we really do have a responsibility to go even further. We could start by funding the Minority AIDS Initiative at a minimum of $610 million and by fully funding the Ryan White Treatment Modernization Act.

But we must also go beyond the money and get at the factors that are ultimately driving this epidemic among African American people, African American men and women. Poverty and discrimination, the lack of affordable housing, the unequal impact of the disproportionate rates of incarceration among black men, poor access to care, limited cultural competency for health workers, all of these deserve our attention and deserve action.

Mr. Speaker, the color of our skin really should never determine our health status or the quality of care we receive. Unfortunately, today to be black is to be at greater risk of HIV and AIDS. And, unfortunately, this disease is really increasing among Latinos and the Asian Pacific American community. So we must do much more for everyone.

As Members of Congress, we have a responsibility to do just that, to change these statistics. It is not an ideological issue, and, Mr. Towns, you know this is not an ideological issue. It is a moral and humanitarian call for equality and for justice.

So I urge my colleagues to join us in stopping the spread of this global pandemic, a priority not only throughout the world but also here at home. In Toronto, Canada Congresswomen Waters, Christensen, and myself, we participated in a very effective and very profound international AIDS conference this past year. There were pledges made to make HIV and AIDS a priority with civil rights groups. The NAACP and many of our organizations that have been working for justice and civil rights for many years now understand and are on the front lines in terms of making HIV and AIDS a major, major priority.

So let me just say it is a very important day. This is a very important resolution, and I urge both sides of the House to vote for H. Con. Res. 35.

Again, I want to thank Mr. Burgess and Mr. Towns for your leadership and for yielding the time today.

Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding. And I am delighted that we have a chance to have this colloquy because I would like to highlight the importance of getting tested.

Congresswoman Waters and I and others last year, actually approximately 16 Members of Congress, were tested publicly. The importance of members of the clergy and Members of Congress and leadership getting tested, showing our communities that it is the correct thing to do, there is a large percentage of individuals living with HIV and AIDS who don't know they have the virus, and in fact, once tested the results are confidential.

There are several tests, but one is a swab test where you get the results back within 20 to 30 minutes. Again, the results of those tests are very confidential. It is important that ministers and, Mr. Towns, you are a great member of the clergy as well as a Member of Congress, and your voice in this entire effort is so important because once people eliminate that fear, then, in fact, they can move forward and get tested and begin to help reduce this pandemic, which is what it is.

So I want to thank you for giving us a chance to talk about this, about getting tested also, because this is one way you actually can have a reduction of the incidences of HIV and AIDS very quickly.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 35) supporting the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, as amended.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, this is a healing moment in the long struggle for full and fair recognition for the African American victims of HIV and AIDS. I am proud that the Congress and our Nation continues to recognize the changing face of the HIV and AIDS. And I urge you to unanimously support this resolution.

In the previous Congress, we spent much time and energy on the issue of HIV and AIDS, and rightfully so. I am glad that the Nation and the Congress have come together today to support a House resolution that recognizes the importance of supporting awareness in African American communities across this Nation.

This is a special moment for me, because the HIV/AIDS crisis has hit the national African American community, and my own district in Brooklyn, New York has been hit real hard. So it is critical for Congress today to say to the Nation that this issue at this time is important, just as we did in the last session when we included for the first time the Minority AIDS Initiative in the Ryan White reauthorization.

I am particularly pleased that today's Congress is recognizing the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The importance of prevention and testing in African American communities is very, very important, the need for full and equitable treatment of the disease in communities of color.

My colleagues will speak to other aspects of the resolution. However, we are united in our support for strengthening the public health infrastructure to assist African American communities in fighting this epidemic.

I urge my colleagues to vote for this critical resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I would be happy to yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee), who has been fighting on this issue from the day that she arrived in the United States Congress.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), who has really been involved in this issue, and I have worked very closely with her.

Mr. Speaker, how much time is remaining?

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I must admit I don't plan to take it all.

But let me just say I would like to thank the staff members. I would like to thank the leadership of the committees, who, of course, have been very involved in this issue because this is a very serious issue.

People are dying because of the fact that we are not paying enough attention to this disease. So I want to thank people like Congresswoman Barbara Lee from California, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, and, of course, many others who have been there in the forefront indicating the fact that the time to do something is now.

This resolution sort of highlights how important this issue is and that we must begin to address it. So I am hoping that the Members of the United States Congress will join us in supporting this resolution and not only that but to help us get information out to people.

People need to be tested but not only to be tested. When they are tested, they need to have treatment. It is one

thing to test; it is another thing to have treatment. Just a test to be testing does not make a lot of sense. But when you test and then you have a treatment program and you get education out, then it makes a lot of sense.

I would be delighted to yield to the gentlewoman from California.

No doubt about it. Reclaiming my time, Mr. Speaker, let me say that I think that we need to involve our churches in this battle. Not only our churches but also our 501(c)(3) organizations. They need to be involved in this as well because we are talking about life and death. And the fact is that if we get involved, I think that we can begin to turn this around.

Right now we are not winning the battle, and I think that we need to win. In order to win, we have to get all the soldiers involved. And I think that the church is crucial. They need to be involved in this issue. So we need to try to get the word out to them and hope that they will respond in a major kind of way because people are dying that really don't have to die if we get this information to them.

Mr. Speaker, reclaiming my time, let me say that I want to salute both of you. Ron Dellums, when he was here in the Congress, Ron, of course, was really in the forefront of the fighting to get additional resources for AIDS patients and AIDS victims, and, of course, now you have picked it up and Congresswoman Maxine Waters from California. I want to let you know that we really appreciate your voices, and I want to let you know that I look forward to working with you in the days and months ahead to make certain that we get this information out to people that need to have this information because a lot of people don't know, and if they don't know, then they don't do anything about it. So I want to say to you thank you for helping to get the word out to make certain that they do know. I want to thank both of you for your hard work in this effort.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

Mr. Speaker, reports have been coming out since the HIV/AIDS epidemic first surfaced in the United States more than 25 years ago and every year, they have--and continue to--report the same findings: Since the beginning, this epidemic has had--and continues to have--a disproportionate and detrimental impact on the African American community. In fact, over time, the impact of the epidemic on the Black community has gotten worse, leaving African Americans--more so than any other population group--hardest hit by HIV/AIDS at every stage of life.

Today, African Americans--who are represented in about 13 percent of the U.S. population--account for more than 40 percent of all individuals currently living with AIDS and nearly 50 percent of all new HIV infections. More than 7 in 10 children born to women infected with HIV are African American and the AIDS case rate among African Americans is nearly ten times higher than that among whites. Additionally, African Americans account for 40 percent of all AIDS deaths. In fact, African Americans are 7 times more likely than whites to die from an AIDS-related causes.

Particularly affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic are African American women, who are represented in roughly 7 in 10 new AIDS cases among women and who are an estimated 25 times more likely than white women to be infected with HIV. In fact, in 2002, AIDS was the leading cause of death for African-American women, aged 25 to 34 years of age.

Mr. Speaker, this epidemic has and continues to kill African Americans during their most productive life years, robbing them of their opportunity to follow their dreams, pursue their destinies and contribute not only to their communities, but to our society. As a physician who has seen--first hand--what the HIV/AIDS epidemic does not only to the people it afflicts, but to their families, friends, and communities, and given the incidence and prevalence numbers, the unnecessary, often-premature deaths, and the unbelievable toll that this epidemic has in the African American community, I feel strongly that the time has come for us to do more. We can do more, and we must.

I, therefore, rise today in strong and unwavering support of H. Con. Res. 35, which supports the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. Recognized on February 7, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day--which reaches its 7th anniversary of being observed this year--is a critically important day because it raises awareness about the disastrous impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the African American community.

We all should support H. Con. Res. 35 and on February 7, 2007, we should observe National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day in a manner that is consistent with its intent. We should publicize the importance of being informed about HIV/AIDS and about ones HIV status, and we should encourage our friends in the media to deliver messages stressing the importance of getting educated, involved and tested. Additionally, I urge all of my colleagues, on February 7 and beyond, to: encourage de- stigmatization of the disease among African Americans; expand voluntary testing because knowledge is power; work to reduce the social determinants of health--such as poverty and lack of education--that put people at greater risk for HIV infection; ensure that incarcerated and ex-offender populations have access to adequate and realistic HIV prevention methods, receive voluntary and confidential HIV testing and, if necessary, are rolled into adequate HIV/AIDS-related care, treatment and services; expand access to culturally appropriate substance abuse prevention programs, as well as to drug treatment and recovery services; and create the necessary political to fully fund the Minority AIDS Initiative in the amount of at least $610 million in order to target needed funds to build capacity in minority communities to give those who are hardest hit by HIV/AIDS a fighting chance.

Mr. Speaker, our new political climate has brought us a new day. As the Chair of the CBC Health Braintrust, I am asking all of my colleagues to seize that new day and to support H. Con. Res. 35, to observe National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on February 7 and to use it as a day to commit to act with cognizance of the impact that this epidemic has on the African American community.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to fully support the goals and ideals of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. In 2005, African Americans accounted for nearly 50 percent of all new HIV infections, despite representing nearly twelve percent of the total population. The HIV/AIDS infection rate among Black men is six times that of white

men and the rate among Black women is sixteen times that of white women. More children with AIDS are African American than all other race and ethnic groups combined. There is no question that we must continue to devote considerable attention and resources to support the efforts of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and its mission to build capacity and increase the awareness, participation and support for HIV prevention, care and treatment among African Americans in particular. For these many reasons, I urge you to support the passage of H. Con. Res. 35, National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

While a cure for HIV/AIDS remains just beyond our reach, there are many known factors that contribute to the devastating effects that HIV/ AIDS continues to have in the African American community in particular. For example, we know that the stigmatization surrounding those with HIV/AIDS deters many from being tested and learning about treatment needed to prolong their lifespan. We also know that economic issues such as the need for more inexpensive housing, substantial increases in livable wages and affordable health care, weakens community ties making it difficult to build capacity, disseminate information and target interventions. It is also evident that funds are needed to support these initiatives, perform meaningful outreach and provide organizations with the resources necessary to serve this vulnerable population.

It is important for us to increase knowledge about preventative measures, educational techniques, capacity building and outreach to find targeted solutions to the problem of HIV/AIDS in the Black Community. In the State of New York alone there are 33,747 Black Americans living with HIV/AIDS. Sadly, this number will continue to grow at exponential rates without the attention, care and resources supported by the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. While it is important to direct resources to Black Americans and others who are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS, we must remember that HIV/AIDS does not discriminate. It is estimated that between 1,039,000 and 1,185,000 infected persons live in the United States and approximately 40,000 new infections occur each year. Those affected belong to all gender, racial, ethnic, religious, socio economic and regional configurations. Those affected are mothers and fathers, sisters and our brothers, bosses, friends, and children.

The devastating effect of HIV/AIDS impacts us all. Confronting this international crisis will require the collective efforts of researchers, legislators, clergy members, community activists and organizations, and all others committed to reducing the force of HIV/ AIDS. We must work together to find solutions that are scaleable and make possible innovations that result in value adding and sustainable positive changes.

Observance of the National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day provides an opportunity for governments, national AIDS programs, churches, community organizations and individuals to communicate the importance of the fight against HIV/AIDS. If we have any hope of ending conversations about the injurious effects of HIV/AIDS, we must immediately devote the time, energy and resources needed to educate, treat and prevent against future transmission.