Ministers’ Luncheon on The Black Church & HIV Kicks off MS NAACP State Convention Thursday, Nov. 6th
Did you know that 80% of new HIV infections in Mississippi are among African Americans, and this problem is even more amplified in poor communities with limited access to healthcare?
As part of The Black Church and HIV: The Social Justice Imperative, the NAACP MS State Convention invites all clergy to the Ministers’ Luncheon located at the Vicksburg Convention Center from 12:00-2:30PM to kick off the 69th Annual State Convention & Policy Institute. Join us as we work together to address HIV as a social justice issue, reduce stigma associated with HIV, and break down barriers to healthcare.
There is no cost to attend the Ministers’ Luncheon, but registration is required. For more information, visit www.naacpms.org or call 601-353-8452.
The Mississippi NAACP 69th Annual Convention & Policy Institute is sponsored by Entergy, Rooms To Go Children’s Fund, UAW Region 8, BankPlus, AT&T, MGM Resorts, BanCorpSouth, City of Vicksburg, and One Voice.
About The Black Church and HIV: The Social Justice Imperative
Through The Black Church and HIV: The Social Justice Imperative initiative, the NAACP, in partnership with Gilead Sciences, Inc., is harnessing the historic power of the Black Church to end the HIV epidemic in Black America. In 2013, the NAACP and Gilead Sciences, Inc. made a joint Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Commitment to Action to expand the pilot initiative from 12 cities to the 30 cities that make up nearly two-thirds of the nation’s HIV epidemic. Over the next five years, the initiative aims to engage nearly 3,000 faith leaders to reach approximately 1.125 million people in the Black community with messages about HIV.
The initiative is working to overcome stigma and address HIV as an issue of social justice by conducting faith leader trainings; securing formal resolutions from 7 of 9 historically Black denominations to include HIV as a social justice issue in church activities; and integrating HIV-related coursework into the required curricula at predominantly African American theological seminaries. Learn more at www.TheBlackChurchandHIV.org.
