HIV/AIDS Is Wreaking Havoc On African American Communities Across Our Nation

HIV/AIDS IS WREAKING HAVOC ON AFRICAN AMERICAN COMMUNITIES ACROSS OUR NATION -- (House of Representatives - September 27, 2006)

(Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, you have heard earlier today that the HIV/AIDS pandemic has wreaked havoc on the African American community across the Nation.

And that is also true for my own district in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where since 1983 over 50 percent of the diagnosed AIDS cases were among African Americans. And while these data are appalling and frightening, we must remember that this is entirely preventable.

We must spread the hope of preventing AIDS. So despite this terrible human tragedy, we must never yield to complacency and silence and ignorance, because complacency and silence and ignorance, of course, leads to death.

We must encourage people to get educated, to get tested, to get involved in the fight against AIDS. But quite frankly, Mr. Speaker, it is this Congress's responsibility to fight this national epidemic by providing the resources for people to be involved in setting aside this pandemic. It is not enough to just say no to sex.

This commitment would involve reauthorizing the Ryan White Care Act. It would involve increasing funding for the Minority AIDS Initiative. Mr. Speaker, we must never look the other way and say that nothing can be done. And I urge my colleagues to take action and to fund these critical initiatives.

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