HIV/AIDS, Race, and Politics ñ Getting a Clue

by Akilah Monifa

With the 2004 presidential election over, Iíve had time to process and debrief on an issue that bothered me during the campaign. The subject of AIDS/HIV in the advent of World AIDS Day has been on my mind. Although it is a global issue, I believe that we have to act locally on the matter.

During the debates preceding the election, not one candidate on either the presidential or vice-presidential level could adequately answer the question regarding the increasing rate of HIV/AIDS infection among African American Women.

African American women account for 72 percent of all new HIV/AIDS cases among women in the United States. Additionally, African American girls account for 76 percent of all new cases among American female teenagers. This statistic has been well documented and disseminated in the media.

During the vice-presidential debate, Gwen Ifill questioned Dick Cheney on the issue of HIV/AIDS and African American women.

Ifill said that black women between the ages of 25 and 44 are 13 times more likely to die of the disease than their counterparts. Cheney responded by calling the AIDS crisis ìa great tragedyî and added, ìI have not heard those numbers with respect to African American women. I was not aware that it was ñ that they're in epidemic there, because we have made progress in terms of the overall rate of AIDS infection." He said that progress to end the pandemic was being achieved through education, public awareness and research in drugs, which would allow those infected with the virus to live longer. That he was not aware about the impact of HIV/AIDS among African Americans concerns me. How can the Vice President who is supposed to be knowledgeable about such affairs, be so out of touch? Can one characterize Cheneyís ignorance as an advent of racism? Some suggest as much.

Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill said Cheney's record was "indicative of a person who, if he's not a racist, he's quickly approaching that definition." Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif. said the Bush administration "did not have a clue" about the Black community, and that "one has to figure out based on a person's record where the attitudes are coming from."

How can an elected official not have a clue about a crisis affecting 12 percent of the population in the United States? Particularly when such information is so readily available.

Cheney demonstrated his ignorance of the state of HIV/AIDS in the United States. It is as if Black folks do not matter and folks with HIV/AIDS do not exist. It is one thing to believe this, but at least he could have been more subtle and humble in his response by saying, "We've made lots of inroads to reducing HIV/AIDS in some communities. However, it is especially troubling to see the rates rise in other communities such as communities of color and among young people.î If Cheneyís knowledge is indicative of the general populationsí knowledge in HIV/AIDS, then clearly we need to revamp and re-examine our education and outreach programs.

While I do not advocate ignoring the rest of the world, it seems as though we and our leaders are ignoring our own people. It's one thing to think of HIV/AIDS as something over there, mainly in Asia and Africa and as a disease that is under control in the United States. But that is not the case. Cheney and Edwards may not personally know of anyone impacted by HIV/AIDS. But for many of us, that is not the reality. We see the faces of those suffering from HIV/AIDS daily.


I hope that Ifillís question was a wake-up call for Cheney, and that the Bush administration will take action. As for the rest of us, we should be alarmed that our leaders are out of touch with this life and death issue.

If they donít have a clue, which in this case they clearly donít, then they need to get it quickly. The ultimate consequence for such ignorance is death.

Akilah Monifa is the Director of Communications for CBS 5/UPN Bay Area in San Francisco and a former media trainer and strategist for the SPIN Project in San Francisco. She has a rich career in teaching, media and public relations activism, law and journalism. She was press officer for Medea Benjamin's Green Party candidacy for U.S. Senate in California. She has also worked at Media Alliance, where she was president of the board and the media education coordinator. Monifa is also contributing columnist to the Progressive Media Project, former features editor for the now defunct Arise Magazine; a former consulting editor and contributing writer for AlterNet; and a former contributor to the New York Times Syndicate New America News Service. Her commentaries have been published in more than 200 newspapers and online journals. She is a member of the National Writers Union, National Association of Black Journalists and a board member of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. She can be reached at amonifa@sbcglobal.net.