AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world’s largest AIDS organization, and the AHF Black AIDS Crisis Taskforce (ABACT) will host a free concert and voter registration rally on August 6th at 7 PM at the historic FOX Theatre in Atlanta, GA to commemorate the 50th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and draw attention to health disparities that continue to affect communities of color. Featuring live music performances by Grammy- and Oscar-winning rapper/actor Common, legendary singer/actress Patti LaBelle, a keynote address by National Action Network Founder and President Rev. Al Sharpton and appearances by other special guests including the Prancing Elites of Oxygen Media’s The Prancing Elites Project, “Vote 2 End HIV: #BlackVotesMatter!” will issue a grassroots call-to-action for black voters to play an active role in the 2016 elections and call for increased governmental resources directed towards the prevention, care and treatment for HIV/AIDS in black and Latino communities—the ethnic groups statistics show are the most affected by HIV.
“Fifty years ago, our nation stood at a critical crossroads in the fight for racial equality when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to underscore the constitutional right of every American to take part in our country’s electoral process,” said AHF President Michael Weinstein. “We are gathering in Atlanta—the home of the civil rights movement—fifty years to the day of this momentous event to focus attention on the most urgent public health crisis of our time that so disproportionately affects African Americans. With the states of the old Confederacy being the epicenter of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in America, we’re honored to have Patti LaBelle, Common, Rev. Al Sharpton join us in Atlanta to call for public mobilization and action to stop this epidemic.”
Sponsored by AHF, Reed for Hope Foundation / LoveHealthy.org and AID Atlanta, the “Vote 2 End HIV: #BlackVotesMatter!” concert and rally builds upon the successful “AIDS Is A Civil Rights Issue” national public awareness campaign created by AHF in 2014 in partnership with Rev. Al Sharpton, the National Action Network, local churches, and community groups to honor the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1965, foster dialogue on ending HIV and sexual stigma within black families, and encourage community-wide testing and treatment.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), black Americans account for 44% of all people with HIV/AIDS in the United States, yet only account for 12% of the population. Latinos account for 21% of all new HIV infections nationwide, yet only represent 16% of the U.S. population. Locally, Atlanta currently ranks #3 in the nation for cities with the highest rates of new syphilis and HIV infections and the state of Georgia ranks #5 in the United States for new HIV infections.
For more information please visit www.aidshealth.org!
