Stone Mountain and DeKalb Residents Talk HIV/AIDS

Saturday morning the DeKalb-Stone Mountain chapter of National Action Network (NAN) hosted a town hall meeting to discuss HIV/AIDS and its effect on the black community. About 30 Stone Mountain parents and youth arrived at the Dekalb County Department of Family and Children Services to attend the meeting, where disease contraction, common myths and ways of prevention were discussed.

The town hall was a part of a nationwide campaign of NAN, an organization founded by the Rev. Al Sharpton in 1999 that now has 47 chapters across the country. The campaign’s goal is to spread awareness in anticipation for National HIV Testing Day on Monday June 27.

 “Aside from special days like AIDS awareness or National HIV Testing, issues of HIV and AIDS are not discussed,” said Lisa Britt, a peer counselor for the DeKalb County Board of Health who was one of two guest speakers at the town hall meeting. Britt contracted the HIV in 2003 from a former boyfriend and after attending support groups began to notice a disturbing trend.

 “I started to realize that there are a lot of black women infected with this virus,” said Britt. “The major reason for this is because we have a lack of knowledge and low self-esteem.”

Britt has shared her story with women and men across the country, and in a 2006 issue of Essence magazine she talked about her experience of being pregnant and HIV positive.

According to statistics provided by the Centers for Disease Control, African-Americans accounted for 46 percent of the population of people diagnosed with HIV in 2007. In 2006 the rate of infection for black women "was 15 times as high as that of white women and nearly 4 times that of Hispanic/Latina Women."

The town hall meeting served as the first event for the DeKalb-Stone Mountain chapter of NAN, which was recently founded. The chapter's president, Bishop Darius Ashlock, and his wife, Dr. Leslie Ashlock, operate the , a private school for children who have struggled with traditional public education. Prior to his foray into education, Ashlock was a nurse for eight years while working for the army, and during that time he cared for patients with autoimmune deficiencies including HIV and AIDS. Those experiences made him deeply passionate about HIV/AIDS prevention efforts. 

 “We have the right to give our communities education that will help save our children,” said Ashlock.

Many local organization will be hosting free testing events to commemorate National HIV Testing Day. To find an  event near you visit: http://www.aids.gov/awareness-days/.