![Black AIDS Institute booth at 2012 International AIDS Conference](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d9/Black_AIDS_Institute_booth_at_2012_International_AIDS_Conference.JPG)
The Black AIDS Institute (The Institute), formerly known as the African American AIDS Policy Training Institute, is a non-profit
charitable organization
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good).
The legal definitio ...
founded in 1999 by
Phill Wilson
Phill Wilson is an American activist who founded the Black AIDS Institute in 1999, and served as its CEO, and is a prominent African-American HIV/AIDS activist.
Career
Phill Wilson's career in activism started after he and his partner, Chris ...
to promote awareness and prevent the spread of
HIV and AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
by targeting
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
communities. Their motto is "Our People, Our Problem, Our Solution."
The Institute is very active in educating African American communities through their programs, like the Black Treatment Advocates Network and the African American HIV University. These two projects work with the communities to educate the people about the science of HIV, medical advancements, and prevention methods. The Institute has been received well through many other organizations providing funding to it. Some top funders include the
Elton John AIDS Foundation
The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) is a nonprofit organization, established by rock musician Sir Elton John in 1992 in the United States and 1993 in the United Kingdom to support innovative HIV prevention, education programs, direct care a ...
, the
Magic Johnson Foundation
The Magic Johnson Foundation was founded by basketball legend Magic Johnson in 1991, the same year Johnson temporarily retired from the NBA, and works to develop programs and support community-based organizations that address the educational, heal ...
,
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is an American nonprofit organization that raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States, headquartered in New York City. It is the theatre community's response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. ...
and more.
History
While white activists tended to target gay neighborhoods, Wilson decided to target the larger African-American community, since gay black men are "less likely to live in clusters and to seek gay services. In 1985, African-Americans accounted for a quarter of all new reported cases, and in 2001, they accounted for half. This is because black men are less likely to report that they have sex with other men. In a study done by the Centers for Disease Control in 2000, a quarter of black men who contracted HIV by having sex with another man considered themselves to be heterosexual, compared with 6% of white men.
Wilson believes that AIDS is a black problem more than it is a gay problem. He has been cited as saying that he believes it is the black community's job to fight AIDS because "it is rarely possible for outsiders to come in and solve other peoples problems."
Wilson stepped down as President and CEO in 2019. He was replaced by Raniyah Copeland, who had joined the organization in 2008.
Activities
Black Treatment Advocates Network
One of the projects done by The Institute is the Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN). It was launched in 2010, in a partnership with
Merck
Merck refers primarily to the German Merck family and three companies founded by the family, including:
* the Merck Group, a German chemical, pharmaceutical and life sciences company founded in 1668
** Merck Serono (known as EMD Serono in the Unite ...
, and it seeks to educate people about the science of HIV and the advances in medicine in the way of treatment, as well as prevention methods. As of 2013, BTAN had trained more than 1,000 advocates to provide support for people living with HIV in 13 cities across the United States. These cities include Atlanta, Georgia; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Chicago, Illinois; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Houston, Texas; Jackson, Mississippi; Los Angeles, California; New Orleans, Louisiana; Oakland, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; San Francisco, California; and Washington, D.C.
African American HIV University
The Institute has created a training program called the African American HIV University,
which trains advocates who "work with churches, community centers, black businesses and the black media to influence policy, funding and research."
This training is part of a two-year fellowship that includes a 30-day training with the AIDS Treatment College, as well as four internships completed in different cities around the country.
Uriah Bell
Uriah Bell (born December 28, 1978) is a poet, writer, publisher and founder of Rising Voices Press, and most recently, the editor in chief of '' TRUTH Magazine'', a bi-monthly national publication for LGBTQ persons of color.
Career
Bell began f ...
was a 2011 AAHU fellow.
Funding
On their website, the Institute has listed
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is an American nonprofit organization that raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States, headquartered in New York City. It is the theatre community's response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. ...
, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency, under the Department of Health and Human Services, and is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgi ...
, the
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
,
Gilead Sciences
Gilead Sciences, Inc. () is an American biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Foster City, California, that focuses on researching and developing antiviral drugs used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, influenza, and CO ...
, the
Elton John AIDS Foundation
The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) is a nonprofit organization, established by rock musician Sir Elton John in 1992 in the United States and 1993 in the United Kingdom to support innovative HIV prevention, education programs, direct care a ...
, the
MAC AIDS Fund
M∙A∙C AIDS Fund (M·A·F) is a public charity established in 1994 to support people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide. It donates funds to communities and organizations that offer services to people with HIV/AIDS and help to prevent the disease ...
, the
Magic Johnson Foundation
The Magic Johnson Foundation was founded by basketball legend Magic Johnson in 1991, the same year Johnson temporarily retired from the NBA, and works to develop programs and support community-based organizations that address the educational, heal ...
, the Janssen Research and Development, LLC, and the
Bristol-Myers Squibb
The Bristol Myers Squibb Company (BMS) is an American multinational pharmaceutical company. Headquartered in New York City, BMS is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and consistently ranks on the ''Fortune'' 500 list of the lar ...
as some of their top funders.
References
{{Reflist
External links
The Black AIDS Institute African-American LGBT organizations
HIV/AIDS organizations in the United States