By Phill Wilson, Black AIDS Institute
"An injustice any where is a threat to justice everywhere."
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
I've spent the entire day thinking about Dr. Martin Luther King jr. and wondering if Dr. King were alive today what would he say about the AIDS epidemic in our community. After reading his writings and listening to his speeches I realized I don't have to wonder what Dr. King would have said about AIDS because he said it.
Dr. King said, "An injustice any where is a threat to justice everywhere."
An estimated 600,000 Black people are living with HIV/AIDS in America today. AIDS is the leading cause of death for black women between the ages of 24 and 34. 24 Black people died from AIDS today and another 24 will die from the disease tomorrow. There's an injustice some where.
On December 26, 2007, I wrote about the death of my friend Tom Morgan. The column generated quite a response. A reader name Edith wrote, "The title of this article should be another aids carrying *** bite the dust." I've been trying to figure out how to respond to such a hateful statement. Dr. King came to my rescue this afternoon.
In his 1954 sermon "Rediscovering Lost Values" at Second Baptist Church in Detroit Michigan, Dr King said, "some things are right and some things are wrong-eternally so, absolutely so. It's wrong to hate. It always has been wrong and it always will be wrong! It's wrong in America, its wrong in Germany, its wrong in Russia, its wrong in China! It was wrong in 2000 B.C., and it's wrong in 1954 A.D.! It always has been wrong, and it always will be wrong!
Edith's comment and the comments of some others were hateful and they were wrong. Reading them made me feel ashamed-not because of my HIV status or my sexual orientation, I've felt ashamed because some of us have forgotten what Dr. King stood for, fought for and ultimately died for.
Dr. King's dream was about justice. And, justice can't mean "just us:" no matter how you define "us" because far too many of us end up left behind. In some ways AIDS is a test for Black America. If we are going to have any chance of winning the battle for racial justice, we must win the war against HIV/AIDS. An army ravaged by disease cannot fight. A dead people cannot reap the benefits of a battle won.
Dr. King admonished us about the role each of us has to play in this disease when he said, "We must learn to live together as brothers or we will die together as fools."
Phill Wilson is the founder and CEO of the Black AIDS Institute in Los Angeles . He has been living with HIV for 26 years and full blown AIDS for 15 years.
1. In relation to the complex problem of AIDS, I think Dr. King would be divided. I'm certain that he would want universal health care while he would place the responsibility for not catching or spreading HIV on the community. He would be critical of us for our sexual promiscuity. He would be critical of Magic Johnson for thinking he was invincible. He would be critical of Hollywood for setting a terrible example. He would be critical of the business world for trying to violate our privacy without offering hope of a cure. King would be angry that some would allow our medical privacy to be threatened by business for no good reason. It's not like testing positive for HIV is like hitting the lottery. He'd be against anyone allowing private information to be used in discrimination. King would be moving against our military for routinely testing the military for HIV. It's not a death sentence. King would be busy with other issues like the Constitution and meeting with our Muslim enemies making them friends. King would find Bin Laden to find out what happened on 9-11. How could 20 guys bring America to it's knees without help? Dr. King would be a conspiracy theorist.
Cecil Jones at 10:11AM on Jan 22nd 2008