(Black PR Wire) LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, is proud to sponsor multiple community outreach and engagement activities in Washington, DC this week in conjunction with the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 2016 Annual Legislative Conference (ALC) (Sept.14-18), the leading policy conference on issues impacting African Americans and the global black community.

The organization’s Black AIDS Crisis Taskforce will host events to coincide with the ALC aimed at raising awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the black community. Although black Americans represent only 12% of the U.S. population, they account for almost half of new HIV infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Black Americans also accounted for almost half of new AIDS diagnoses, meaning that sexually active individuals are forgoing regular screenings for HIV and are being diagnosed at later stages of infection.

“We are so excited to host and be a part of a week of outreach events in Washington as the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation holds its annual legislative conference,” said Imara Canady, chair of AHF’s Black AIDS Crisis Taskforce. “One of our main goals is to engage our community and elected officials around the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic that is claiming thousands of lives each year in the black community. As we look towards the election, we must make sure that HIV/AIDS is a top priority for these planning and policy discussions.”

The following outreach activities are planned for the week:

Monday, September 12

Community Block Party in McPherson Square
6:00 PM
Open to the public

March from McPherson Square to Metropolitan AME Church, 1518 M Street, NW
March to begin at approximately 6:15 PM.

“AIDS Is A Civil Rights Issue” Community Town Hall at Metropolitan AME Church
7:00 – 9:00 PM

1518 M Street, NW
Open to the public
Doors open at 6:15 PM.

Town hall discussion will be moderated by Judge Glenda Hatchett and will feature prominent HIV/AIDS activists and academics:

• Dr. Gail Wyatt, associate director, UCLA AIDS Institute
• Dr. David Malebranche, board-certified Internal Medicine physician and public health activist
• C. Virginia Fields, president and CEO of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS
• Mary Bowman, HIV/AIDS activist
• Ebony Johnson, HIV/AIDS activist
• Gabriel Maldonado, founder and CEO, TruEvolution
• Earline Budd, HIV/AIDS and LGBT activist

Tuesday, September 13
“Still I Rise” Reception and Women at Risk film screening with National Council of Negro Women
7:00 – 9:00 PM

By invitation only.


Wednesday, September 14

8th Annual Black Women’s Roundtable Policy Forum Series, co-hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and ESSENCE

2:00 – 5:00 PM

Washington Convention Center
Room 207A/B

Panel to feature AHF National Director of Advocacy Campaigns Tracy Jones.

Event registration required.


Film screening of Wilhemina’s War and panel discussion
7:00 – 9:00 PM
Doors open at 6:30 PM

The Howard Theatre
620 T Street, NW
Washington, DC

Open to the public. RSVP required.

Thursday, September 15
Congressional Black Caucus Community Health Breakfast
7:00 – 11:00 AM

Central Union Mission
65 Massachusetts Avenue
Washington, DC

AHF will help serve breakfast and provide free HIV testing.


Friday, September 16

Congresswoman Barbara Lee hosts (D-CA) ALC panel discussion: “The Tipping Point: Fast Tracking the End of AIDS”

1:30 – 3:00 PM

Washington Convention Center
Room 209B


Panel to feature AHF National Director of Advocacy Campaigns Tracy Jones.

Event registration required.

AHF’s Black AIDS Crisis Taskforce is an initiative of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation to create a coalition of African-American cultural influencers and health advocates who will promote sexual health and revolutionize outreach to the African-American community on the HIV/AIDS epidemic. By empowering leaders in the fields of medicine, religion, sports, politics, business, academia, entertainment and civic organizations, members and supporters speak directly to our community to encourage sexual responsibility and keep HIV/STD prevention and treatment at the forefront of the national African-American agenda.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 611,000 individuals in 36 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @aidshealthcare.