Screen Actors Guild and Black Hollywood Confront AIDS: Celebrities Get Public HIV Tests at Press Conference

Screen Actors Guild and Black Hollywood Confront AIDS: Celebrities Get Public HIV Tests at Press Conference

'1 in a Million' campaign includes Hill Harper, Regina King, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Rockmond Dunbar, Vanessa Williams and others to call for HIV screenings of 1 million Black Americans by Dec. 1, 2008

LOS ANGELES, June 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In preparation for the 10th anniversary of National HIV Testing Day, Black celebrities and their allies are joining forces Monday, June 25th, at 10:00AM (PST) with Screen Actors Guild (SAG), The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), Artists for a New South Africa and the Black AIDS Institute to raise awareness of the urgent need to stop the spread of HIV in Black communities by getting HIV screenings in front of the cameras at the Guild's headquarters, 5757 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles. The group will announce the "1 in a Million" campaign, a call-to-action for 1 million Black Americans to get screened for HIV by December 1, 2008 (World AIDS Day). AIDS is the leading cause of death for Black women aged 25-34 years, and it is estimated that up to 46% of Black gay men may already be HIV-positive, and according to the CDC, there are over 260,000 people in the U.S. infected with HIV who don't know they are infected.

Celebrities including Jimmy Jean-Louis ("Heroes"), Hill Harper ("CSI New York"), Hosea Chanchez ("The Game"), Anne-Marie Johnson ("CSI," "JAG"), Rockmond Dunbar ("Prison Break," "Heartland"), Vanessa Williams ("Soul Food"), Howard Hesseman ("Boston Legal," "WKRP in Cincinnati"), Henry Simmons ("Shark") and Regina King ("Ray," "24") have agreed to participate in the unprecedented event, being held at the SAG headquarters (5757 Wilshire Boulevard), to illustrate their personal commitments to ending the AIDS epidemic in Black America (Full list of participants below). Black Americans can find testing sites in their local communities by logging on to www.blackaids.org and entering their zip code.

"AIDS in America today is a Black disease. Nobody wants to talk about that, and nobody wants to own that. That silence is killing us," said Black AIDS Institute Executive Director and Founder Phill Wilson. "That's why we're calling for 1 million Black Americans to get tested for HIV in the next year -- knowing your HIV status can save your life, and every one of us has a responsibility to ourselves and our communities to know our status and to talk with our family members and loved ones about their status."

This event is part of a national Mass Black Response to the AIDS epidemic sponsored by the Black AIDS Institute, The Balm in Gilead, the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS and leading national Black Institutions. This Black AIDS Mobilization (BAM) is committed to ending the AIDS epidemic in Black America by 2012 by:

* Cutting HIV rates in Black America by 50%
* Increasing the number of Black Americans who know their HIV status by
50%
* Increasing the number of Black Americans in appropriate early
care/treatment by 50%
* Reducing HIV/AIDS stigma In Black America by 50%

"As a 14-year-old Black kid growing up in Paris, I was the only student forced to take an AIDS test to be able to go to London on a school trip because I was from Haiti," said Jimmy Jean-Louis, star of the hit TV show "Heroes." "That experience brought awareness to me about the epidemic, and since then it became a lifestyle for me to fight the disease. To take an AIDS test can cause you to be fearful, but it is extremely liberating to know your HIV status. I know my status -- I'm number 1 in a million."

Celebrity participants include: Jimmy Jean-Louis ("Heroes"); Regina King ("Ray," "Jerry McGuire," "24"); Hill Harper ("CSI New York"); Rockmond Dunbar ("Prison Break," "Heartland"); Alan Rosenberg ("The Guardian," "Cybill"); Meagan Tandy (Miss California USA 2007); Vanessa Williams ("Soul Food"); Sheryl Lee Ralph ("ER," Original "Dreamgirls" on Broadway); Hosea Chanchez ("The Game"); Angie Stone (recording artist); Darius McCrary ("Transformers"); Sandi McCree ("The Wire"); Anne-Marie Johnson ("CSI," "JAG"); Ovie Mughelli (Atlanta Falcons); Isaac Keys (Arizona Cardinals); Henry Simmons ("Shark"); Tatyana Ali ("The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"); Kym Whitley ("Grey's Anatomy," "Reno 911!"); Samaki Walker, Rob Sommers and Deandre Walker (NBA); Jennifer Lewis ("Shark"); Alexandra Paul ("Baywatch"); Lamman Rucker ("Half & Half"); Beverly White (KNBC-TV); Vida Guerra; Earl Cole (Winner, "Survivor: Fiji"); Howard Hesseman ("Boston Legal," "WKRP in Cincinnati"); Author/journalist Gil Robertson will sign copies of Not in My Family: AIDS in the African-American Community. Phill Wilson (Executive Director, Black AIDS Institute) will be available for interviews, Gloria Reuben ("ER," "Life Support") will be available from New York City, and Shari Belafonte ("The District") will be available via telephone.

"The leadership shown by our members in speaking out on the need for HIV testing is matched by their willingness to publicly be tested in front of the cameras," said AFTRA National President Roberta Reardon. "AFTRA is proud to join the Black AIDS Institute in co-sponsoring the '1 in a Million' campaign as part of its commitment to equality, dignity and respect for all aspects of the American scene. Individually, we can make difference. Collectively, we stand to make a strong statement that it is everyone's responsibility to know their HIV status and save lives."

HIV and AIDS disproportionately affect Black America:
* HIV infection is the leading cause of death for Black women aged 25-34
years.
* In 2005, Blacks accounted for 48% of new HIV infections (in the 33
states where data was available) even though they made up only 13% of
the U.S. population.
* The CDC says 65% of the infants who were perinatally infected with HIV
in 2006 were Black.
* We account for 50% of AIDS cases diagnosed in the 50 states and the
District of Columbia in 2005.
* The rate of AIDS diagnoses for Black adults and adolescents is 10 times
the rate for whites and nearly three times the rate for Latinos.
* The rate of AIDS diagnoses for Black women is nearly 24 times the rate
for white women. The rate of AIDS diagnoses for Black men was 8 times
the rate for white men.

"Actors are blessed with the gift of voice, and people listen to what they say," said SAG President Alan Rosenberg. "Our hope today is that African Americans and others will see what we are doing here, take our message to heart, and take the time to both get tested for HIV and to talk with their families about HIV and AIDS. I congratulate and thank all Screen Actors Guild members and other Black celebrities who took this bold step today by coming to take an HIV test in front of the cameras and the world."

The event will include speakers who will discuss the current AIDS epidemic in Black America and will introduce the celebrities as they receive their HIV tests live. Journalists will be allowed Q&A opportunities during each celebrity's individual test, and some will be available for interviews following their tests. Some interviews will also be available via phone for off-site journalists. Sponsors of the event include Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center, Pan African Film Festival, Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Artists for a New South Africa, Palms Residential Care Facility, NAACP (Hollywood/Beverly Hills branch), BET Networks/RAP IT UP and TV One, under the coordination of the Black AIDS Institute.

About the Black AIDS Institute

The Black AIDS Institute is the only national HIV/AIDS think tank in the United States focused exclusively on Black People. Its mission is to end the AIDS epidemic in Black Communities by engaging and mobilizing Black Leaders, traditional Black Institutions, and individuals in efforts to confront HIV/AIDS. The Institute's Board of Directors includes: Jessie Milan, Jr., JD, Board Chair (Vice President, Constella Health Sciences); Chris Cathcart, 1st Vice President (Executive Director, One Diaspora Group); Dennis R. Holmes, M.D., Board Secretary (Oncologist, USC Norris Cancer Center); A. Cornelius Baker, Board Treasurer (Consultant); Gunther Freehill (HIV Administration); Thomas Brown (Consultant); Danny Glover (AIDS Activist, Actor); James Grooms (Attorney); Honorable Laura Hall, State of Alabama House of Representatives (Representative, 19th District); Grazell Howard (National Coalition 100 Black Women); Neil Lowe, Ph.D (Partner, Mitchell Madison Group); Sid Porter (Certified Public Accountant, City of Inglewood); Sheryl Lee Ralph (AIDS Activist, Actress, Entertainer); Rev. Edwin C. Sanders, II (Senior Servant, Metropolitan Interdenominational Church); Todd Summers (Senior Policy Officer for Global Health, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation); Chad Womack, Ph.D. (President and CSO, NanoVec); Phill Wilson (Executive Director/Founder, Black AIDS Institute); Marilyn Mackel (Emeritus); Dorothy Davis (Emeritus); Harry Simpson (Emeritus). www.blackaids.org

About Artists for a New South Africa

Artists for a New South Africa (ANSA) is a nonprofit organization working in the US and South Africa to combat HIV/AIDS, assist children orphaned by the disease, advance civil rights, and educate and empower youth. Established in 1989, ANSA has raised over $9M for front line nonprofits, shipped 70 tons of medical supplies and books to poor communities, and educated millions in the US and Africa about HIV/AIDS and civil and voting rights. ANSA's founders, board, and core supporters include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Alfre Woodard, Carlos Santana, Samuel L. Jackson, Gillian Anderson, Danny Glover, Jackson Browne, CCH Pounder, LaTanya Richardson, Blair Underwood, Alexandra Paul, Jurnee Smollett, Cicely Tyson, Roma Maffia, Gloria Reuben, Robert Guillaume and many more.

www.ansafrica.org

About Screen Actors Guild

Screen Actors Guild is the nation's largest labor union representing working actors. Established in 1933, the Guild has a rich history in the American labor movement, from standing up to studios to break long-term engagement contracts in the 1940s to fighting for artists' rights amid the digital revolution sweeping the entertainment industry in the 21st century. With 20 branches nationwide, Screen Actors Guild represents nearly 120,000 working actors in film, television, industrials, commercials, video games, music videos and other new media. The Guild exists to enhance actors' working conditions, compensation and benefits and to be a powerful, unified voice on behalf of artists' rights. The Guild is a proud affiliate of the AFL-CIO. www.sag.org

About The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists

The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, AFL-CIO, are the people who entertain and inform America. More than 70,000 professional performers, broadcasters, and recording artists are moving forward together through AFTRA to protect and improve our jobs, lives, and communities. AFTRA members embrace change in society-from new culture to new technology-and incorporate change in our work and craft. AFTRA celebrates and thrives on the diversity of our members and the work we do. AFTRA opens a whole new world of opportunities for success for professional performers, broadcasters, and recording artists. In 32 Locals across the country, AFTRA members work as actors, journalists, dancers, singers, announcers, hosts, comedians, disc jockeys, and other performers across the media industries including television, radio, cable, sound recordings, music videos, commercials, audio books, non-broadcast industrials, interactive games, the Internet, and other digital media. Visit AFTRA at www.aftra.com.

This educational event is sponsored with funding and other support provided by the M.A.C. AIDS Fund, the Ford Foundation, The Gil Foundation, Open Society Institute, and Merck & Co., Inc.

Media Contacts:

Doug Hochstedler
Cohn & Wolfe
(212) 798-9724
doug_hochstedler@cohnwolfe.com

Nicole Carp
Cohn & Wolfe
(212) 798-9753
nicole_carp@cohnwolfe.com

Pamela Greenwalt
Screen Actors Guild
323-549-6872
pgreenwalt@sag.org

Source: Screen Actors Guild; Black AIDS Institute

CONTACT: Doug Hochstedler, +1-212-798-9724,
doug_hochstedler@cohnwolfe.com, or Nicole Carp, +1-212-798-9753,
nicole_carp@cohnwolfe.com, both of Cohn & Wolfe; or Pamela Greenwalt of Screen
Actors Guild, +1-323-549-6872, pgreenwalt@sag.org

Web site:

http://www.sag.org/
http://www.blackaids.org/
http://www.aftra.com/
http://www.ansafrica.org/

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