The Struggle to Fight HIV/AIDS Must Continue

On the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, the NAACP reminds all that every 12 seconds someone contracts HIV. Every 16 seconds someone dies from AIDS. Since its onset, more than 2 million worldwide have died. These alarming figures take on greater significance as the disease disproportionately impacts blacks above all other groups. “It is vitally important that African Americans unify to eradicate the spread of HIV/AIDS and advocate for policies that assist those most impacted,” said NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous.

“We must stand together to keep the issue of AIDS at the top of the political agenda and demand funding for treatment, education and prevention at home and abroad. Furthermore, we must make the commitment to change the behaviors that continue to put our community at the greatest risk.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) the proportion of HIV/AIDS infections in the African American community approximately doubled between 1985 and 2006, with black women representing 67 percent of female AIDS cases and black teens making up two-thirds of new infections in their age group. Once testing positive, African Americans are seven times more likely to die from the disease than whites.

On the international front, the AIDS epidemic continues to rage on in Africa. According to the World Health Organization, the continent of Africa is home to approximately 11 percent of the world’s population but has approximately 60 percent of all of the world’s people living with HIV infection.

Recognizing the need to address this crisis, the NAACP has worked to break the silence surrounding HIV/AIDS in the Black community. These efforts include holding marches, producing educational films, reports, public testing of NAACP leaders as well as training by an array of experts in the field. Internationally, the NAACP has worked to shed light on the vicious use of rape as a tool of war in the Congo. Since 1997 the NAACP has passed several resolutions that call for eliminating racial disparities in our nation’s approach to the AIDS epidemic in order to abolish the disproportionate incidences and deaths of African Americans.

“Black America must eliminate the homophobia from our culture that is perhaps the single greatest barrier to our ability to talk about AIDS,” said Willis Edwards, NAACP National Board member and vice chair of the HIV/AIDS subcommittee of the NAACP Health Committee. “Everyone in the African American community must be educated and get tested, no matter who they are or what they think. We call on all leaders and activists to stand up against this virus that is killing us in our silence and complacency.”

Established by the World Health Organization in 1988, World AIDS Day, observed annually on Dec. 1, serves to focus global attention on the devastating impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Next meeting: 5:30 p.m., Wednesday
(Dec. 3), at the Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren Street, Hudson.

The end of an era... or maybe not: Chairman reconsiders position

December 8, 2008

Dear NAACP Board Members and SCF Trustees:

The outpouring of support from a supermajority of Board members – and from State and Regional Leadership and rank-and file members - asking me to run again for NAACP Board Chairman has convinced me to change my mind.

I will be a candidate for Chairman when the Board convenes in February.

This decision was made by the flood of written, telephoned, mailed and e-mailed appeals I received asking me to reconsider. I am eternally grateful to all those who contacted me.

I hope that continuity in the Chairman’s position will, as many suggested, enhance our Centennial celebration. I also share the hope expressed by many that we can operate with increased civility and harmony in our Board deliberations. We owe it to each other and to the Association.

As we approach a new day in our national leadership, I look forward to a renewed day in our own.

Sincerely,

Julian Bond
Board Chairman

Civil Rights Activist Julian Bond Serves Last Term as NAACP Chairman, Remains on Board

After 10 years of volunteer service as the NAACP National Board Chairman Julian Bond, 68, announced he would not seek reelection when his term ends in February 2009.

"This is the time for renewal. We have dynamic new leadership. The country has a new President in Barack Obama; the organization has a new CEO in Benjamin Jealous, and we'll soon have a new Chairman of the NAACP Board. The NAACP and the country are in good hands," he added.

In a letter to Board members, Bond wrote that he would not run for reelection as Chairman of the National Board, however he will remain on the Board. He also intends to run for reelection to the Board when his three-year term ends. "It has always been my plan to serve until the Centennial which will be underway in February when my term ends," said Bond. "I'm not resigning, I'm just not running for reelection," he added.

NAACP Board members and officers are volunteers in elected positions. The Chairmanship is a one-year term and Board members serve a three-year term.

For Bond, this decision was part of a life change. "Being Chairman has been a wonderful honor however, it has been more time demanding than anything I’ve ever done. I'm ready to let a new generation of leaders lead," he said.

“We appreciate Chairman Bond's commitment and look forward to his continued active involvement on the Board,” said Benjamin Todd Jealous.

About Julian Bond
Julian Bond was elected as the Chairman of the Board of NAACP in 1998. In 2002, Bond was awarded the National Freedom Award, a prestigious award whose recipients in past years include Jackie Robinson, Bill Clinton, Oprah Winfrey and Rosa Parks. The holder of twenty-five honorary degrees, Bond is a Distinguished Professor at American University in Washington, DC, and a Professor in history at the University of Virginia.

The Columbia-Greene NAACP will meet 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, December 3, at the Hudson Opera House, 327 Warren Street, Hudson.

Five Reasons to Join the NAACP

1. The fight for freedom is not free! Your membership will help fund initiatives and programs to support our mission of racial equality and equal justice.
2. A membership in the NAACP is your opportunity to give back to the organization that has done more to change this country for the betterment of people of color, women, and the disenfranchised than any other in the nation's history.
3. Your membership in the NAACP makes you a part of a force of 300,000 people who stand for the freedoms guaranteed in our nation's constitution.
4. Your membership in the NAACP makes a direct and positive impact in your community when you join your local unit.
5. Your membership in the NAACP will give you access to our upcoming benefits program that provides discounts on products and services across the country.

For more information contact the Columbia-Greene NAACP at naacp2008@gmail.com or simply join online today. Please be sure to indicate you wish to be affiliated with the Columbia-Greene branch by entering the number "2139" in the box designated for the unit affiliation code, in the section immediately above "billing information."

Thank you!

Winter edition of NAACP Advocate now available

Civil Rights Groups Call for Mortgage Industry Reform, End to Predatory Lending

Last month, the nation’s largest civil rights organizations, along with several community-based and consumer advocacy groups, came together for the “Save Our Homes: Restructure Loans, Not Repossess Homes” rally held in New York’s Financial District (Wall Street). The alliance offered strategies to end the mortgage crisis as well as predatory, discriminatory practices that plague the lending industry and have resulted in a record number of home foreclosures.

The broad coalition called for reforming current mortgage lending practices and a moratorium on active foreclosures. The NAACP and its partners demanded that the mortgage lending industry--all of whom have ties to Wall Street’s investment firms--and policy makers at all levels act now.

“The sub-prime loan is firmly implicated in the severity of the mortgage crisis,” said Interim NAACP President & CEO Dennis Courtland Hayes. “Data shows us that African Americans disproportionately hold more than half of these higher priced loans that stymie families' attempts at keeping good credit, retaining their homes and amassing wealth. The home loans that have been offered to African Americans were built on financial quick sand and we are demanding that a solid foundation be laid to replace the damage that has been done and reduce the risk that stands to decimate whole communities.”

The coalition supports a seven point Homebuyer’s Bill of Rights developed by the National Urban League that includes saving for homeownership, affordable housing opportunities, fairness in lending, fairness in case of loan default and aggressive enforcement of fair housing laws. The complete details of the Homebuyer’s Bill of Rights can be found online at: http://www.naacp.org/, http://www.nul.org/ or http://www.rainbowpush.org/.

In July the NAACP filed suit in federal court against 14 of the country’s largest lenders, alleging systematic, institutionalized racism in sub-prime home mortgage lending. This is the first known lawsuit that challenges such lending practices on a broad scale. Those proceedings continue.

The NAACP, National Urban League, RainbowPUSH and its partners vow to keep up the fight for economic equality on all fronts, including in court and in Congress. The coalition encourages Congress to pass a comprehensive bill regulating the sub-prime loan industry to eradicate the current patchwork of 50 state laws.

NAACP - The NAACP Advocate

NO NAACP MEETING OCT. 8 (Wednesday) Instead, members are encouraged to attend the regular meeting of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors 7:30 p.m., Wednesday. At that time, the board is expected to finalize the proposed purchase of the former Ockawamick School (situated in Philmont, Town of Claverack). County leadership intends to relocate essential public services to that facility, most notably the Department of Social Services.

The BOS meeting is open to the public and will be held in the board's chamber, located on the first floor of 401 State (at 4th Street).