Congressman Bobby L. Rush Statement on World AIDS Day

CHICAGO – Today, U. S. Rep. Bobby L. Rush spoke out in solidarity with activists in Chicago, Washington, D.C. and throughout the nation whose clear message is that we, indeed, have a war on terror, right here at home, and its name is HIV/AIDS.

"While, today, the nation's attention is rightly focused on those in the military who are putting themselves in harm's way on distant shores, right now, on the streets of Chicago and in far too many unsuspecting households in my community, and others throughout our nation, millions of men, women and young adults are dealing with a war of a different sort.  Millions of Americans, from all walks of life, are struggling silently in the midst of their own, personal war on terror in the form of fear, denial or suspicion about their HIV status.

"Right now, far too many low-income Americans—especially those in communities of color—do not know their HIV status.  Whether it's fear that one's intimate partner is not faithful, the lack of health insurance or the basic lack of community-based health services, there's a war going on throughout this nation and it's sending thousands of people to an early grave.  This war has a name and it's HIV/AIDS.

"This undeclared public health war is the result of an underfunded, overwhelmed so-called ‘social safety net' left behind by the neglectful reign of the Bush-Cheney Administration.   Despite the economic challenges that still confront our nation, I am proud to say that I stood with our President to support the passage of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act, a law that provides life-saving resources in the form of care and treatment services for more than half a million low-income Americans living with this disease.  But we can and must do more.

"Today, on World AIDS Day, I stand in solidarity with progressive activists here, in Chicago, led by the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, as well as those gathered to mourn those who've died from AIDS who have assembled in our nation's capital.  I call for a renewed, national focus to provide funding and federal resources to stop the spread of HIV.

"According to the most recent data available from the Chicago Department of Public Health, African Americans are disproportionately affected by HIV.  While they represent only 36% of Chicago's population, they account for 55% of recently diagnosed HIV infections. Of the 22,650 people living with HIV/AIDS, 54% are black, 27% are white and 16% are Hispanic. The 2006 HIV infection rate in Chicago's black community is nearly twice the rate of whites—92 out of every 100,000 blacks compared to 48 per 100,000 whites and 31 per 100,000 Hispanics.

"It's grim statistics like these that led me to support the goal, by Chicago-based activists and others, to reduce the rate of HIV infection and transmission by three percent, by 2012, in the African American community in Chicago and throughout the nation.

"If we, as a nation, can bail out millionaires on Wall Street, surely we can find the resources to make sure that those who suffer in silence, and without resources, can get the help they need. My commitment is to do all I can to ensure that we make our voices and our votes count for something and that includes making a lasting difference by helping to reduce the increase in the incidence of HIV/AIDS."

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