KLEOPATRA GIRL'S RINGSIDE REPORT: The Black Aids Institute celebrity call to get tested for HIV/Aids @ The Screen Actors Guild. At one point it became very intense. Get tested, get tested, get tested was the resounding reverb.
" Email to a friend | Print Friendly This week Hollywood has been swirling with pre-BET Award parties not to mention the big awards day. I have been running around every which way not knowing where to turn except to keep moving and asking my feet not to fail me now. Parties are scheduled at clubs like Privilege, Montmartre/The Day After, Fa ade, Forbidden City, Mood and others, but my first stop was at the Screen Actors Guild home of the must have membership card for all of Hollywood's elite and working actors.
There, The Black Aids Institute held a press conference attended by many notable Hollywood celebrities who took the day to get tested. The goal of the Black Aids Institute is to have one million people tested in 18 months. Actors such as, Sheryl Lee Ralphs, Tatyana Ali, Vanessa Williams, Alexandra Paul, Regina King, Jimmy Jean Louis, actor/ producer Jamal Weathers, Miss California USA Meagan Tandy, Comedienne Luenell and her partner actor DeMarco Allen, and many others took a break from their busy schedules to take action and let the world know that it is imperative to have knowledge about our health especially in the Black Communities which represent 50% of the nation's population affected with the deadly virus!
!! We were told that Black people bear the brunt of the AIDS epidemic.
The morning started early at 8:30AM with a celebrity briefing in one of the conference rooms where bagels, fruit, juice and coffee were served, followed by a film clip announcement which showed the support of many other celebs such as, Mo'Nique, Danny Glover, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Alicia Keys, then everyone proceeded to the press room for photo opps, swab testing shots followed by the actual test at the end of the afternoon held in a health van in front of SAG office. At one point it became very intense, hearing the news of the millions that are afflicted and the confession of the afternoon's moderator Phil Wilson that he too was a victim.
He advocated, "Get tested, get tested, get tested." It was refreshing when comedienne Luenell managed to relieve the tension with lighthearted humor, which gave everyone a refreshing chuckle. Phil Wilson (Black Aids Institute) and Luenell agree "Get tested.
" (for HIV/AIDS) Among the notable dignitaries and industry veterans at the conference included: Former NAACP President of the Beverly Hills Chapter Willis Edwards, Ron Hasson, Vice Chair of the Screen Actors Guild Ann Marie Johnson, SAG President Alan Rosenberg, newscaster Beverly White, casting director Robi Reed and a surprising visit by Rev. When he walked in you knew it was serious. The media turnout was phenomenal.
I noted Ebony, ET, Young Hollywood, the Watts Times, BET, the Associated Press, yours truly for the EURweb and others. Everyone was told that results would remain confidential. Regina King decided to give permission to release her results when they are in.
Luenell and DeMarco tested and waited a few hours for their news. The anxious couple wanted to know right away. At the end of the day, they released a joyful noise.
Luenell said she was going to scream from the rooftop "We are negative!!!
" Her plan was to go home and "get butt naked." They are now ready to get the summer fun underway knowing that they are a healthy couple. They plan on making the party rounds to celebrate the BET Awards and to promote safe sex from their experience at the Screen Actors Guild.
I agree with the Black Aids Institute everyone should be tested. Of all the BET week events, this to me will be the most memorable. Fast Facts revealed - Of the 1.
3 million Americans living with HIV/AIDS, nearly 50% of them are Black, and Black Americans represent more than 54% of the new HIV/AIDS cases in the United States. The CDC estimates that 46% of gay Black men are already HIV-positive. - HIV infection is the leading cause of death for Black women ages 25-34 In 2005, the rate of AIDS diagnoses for Black Americans was 10 times the rate for whites and nearly 3 times the rate for Latinos - In 2005, African Americans accounted for 49% of the estimated 38,000 new HIVAIDS diagnoses in the U.
S., as well as 50% of the estimated 44,000 AIDS cases - Of the estimated 18,000 people under the age of 25 whose diagnosis of HIV/AIDS was made during 2001-2004, 61% were Black - In 2005, the rate of AIDS diagnoses for black women was nearly 24 times the rate for white women, and for Black men was nearly 8 times the rate for white men - Of the estimated 141 infants infected with HIV in the womb, 65% were Black For more info, log on to www.blackaids.
org. Shout out to Linda Jones of The AJA group EugeniaWright is a former actress turned freelance writer/publicist. You may write to her at KLEOPATRA GIRL'S RINGSIDE REPORT: The Black Aids Institute celebrity call to get tested for HIV/Aids @ The Screen Actors Guild.
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