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Break the Silence: HIV-AIDS in the African American Community

Break the Silence is a video promoting HIV/AIDS prevention in the African American community, which is disproportionately impacted by HIV/AIDS.

Break the Silence illustrates the gravity of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the black community and addresses some of the complex issues, such as denial and stigma, fueling the epidemic.

You can also view Break the Silence from the Channel 16 web page using Windows Media Player.

HIV/AIDS Prevention and Services

Know your HIV status. Get Tested. Learn more about Fairfax County Health Department HIV prevention services and locate a testing location.

Prevent Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)

The Impact of HIV/AIDS on the African American Community

By race/ethnicity, African Americans face the most severe burden of HIV in the United States. 2009 Virginia Department of Health data shows:

African Americans represented 14 percent of the total U.S. population but accounted for 44 percent of all new HIV infections
African Americans represented about 23% of Virginia’s population, but accounted for nearly 59% of new HIV infections
African Americans had an HIV infection rate almost 5 times as high as that of all other race categories combined
Out of every 10 Virginians newly infected with HIV, 6 were African American

Resources

Free and confidential HIV testing
Virginia Department of Health: HIV Prevention | Data and Statistics | Disease Prevention Hotline: 1-800-533-4148
Northern Virginia AIDS Ministry (NOVAM)
Inova Juniper Program
HIV among African Americans (CDC)
Increasing HIV/AIDS Awareness among Blacks/African Americans (CDC)

Faith Initiative

Ribbon heart with Northern Virginia Clergy logo in the middle Northern Virginia Clergy Council for the Prevention of HIV/AIDS

Mission: Actively engage Northern Virginia African American churches in community HIV prevention initiatives that redu ce stigma and encourage personal responsibility, testing, and treatment.

The Northern Virginia Clergy Council for the Prevention for HIV/AIDS is a coalition of local Baptist clergy created to engage African American congregations to support, encourage and empower the faith community to take action toward stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS.

Watch the video on this webpage to learn more about the Fairfax County HIV Prevention Faith Initiative.

The Fairfax County Health Department and Community Interfaith Coordination have partnered with the Clergy Council on this initiative.