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Magazine focuses on advance of HIV in black community submitted by: Lisa D. source: San Jose Mercury News Date: August 13, 2003 Is AIDS part of a government plot to intentionally infect black people? Former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, who is black, rejected the popular urban myth in her column, "Ask Dr. E." appearing in a special issue of POZ magazine devoted to African-Americans. Normally, the 10-year-old Manhattan-based magazine (www.poz.com) targets people in general affected by HIV and AIDS. That the summer 2003 special edition focused only on African-Americans is good news and bad. The good news is that people care enough to launch an all-out information blitz on the African-American community. The bad news is that it is so necessary. Says POZ, "the numbers say it all: In the United States, HIV, once considered a gay, white male disease, has engulfed the black community." Of all new HIV infections, blacks make up more than 50 percent. In addition, while women are 30 percent of new HIV infections, black women are 64 percent of those, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So while more white people have HIV -- 343,889 -- black people are close behind with 313,180, according to the CDC. Blacks are only 12 percent of the population. Carlton Pierce, an outpatient counselor at the Free at Last recovery center in East Palo Alto, called the POZ issue a valuable resource. Pierce, 52, was diagnosed HIV-positive in 1990. A heavy heroin user who indiscriminately shared needles, he says as early as 1984 he was sure he had the virus. Bad night sweats -- worse than heroin ever caused -- and terrible diarrhea had begun. With constant warnings about the peril of sharing needles, I wondered why he would risk dirty needles. "When you are an IV drug user, the only thing that is important is getting the drug into you," said Pierce, who has been clean and sober since 1994. "If I'm really sick and I can't get what I need -- a clean needle -- and I can't borrow one . . ." He stopped and flicked his head toward the floor at an imaginary dirty street and an imaginary dirty needle. "Then that'll do," he said. Pierce said that with Mary J. Blige on the cover, young people and people who wouldn't normally read POZ will be tempted to take a look. POZ -- a play on "positive" -- used big names to attract attention to the special edition. Singer Blige, though not HIV-positive, is on the cover. Bold type says, "We're All in this Together." Magic Johnson, who is surely the best-known person in the country living with HIV, is featured with his wife, Cookie. Hip-hop star Keith Murray discusses the loss of his mother and sister to AIDS. In addition, 10 celebrities say why HIV is everyone's problem. These include popular author Iyanla Vanzant, singers Whitney Houston and Donnie McClurkin, activist Angela Davis, rapper Lil' Mo and presidential candidate the Rev. Al Sharpton. And an unidentified 14-year-old who was born with HIV has an upbeat commentary about her life and dreams. If you score poorly on the magazine's condom quiz, you are "a condom court jester," and a quiz on how people do and don't get HIV (toilet seats) places low scorers in the "Don't Know Jack" category. A sidebar story tells about an Oakland black-owned condom company called Common Ground USA that targets young African-Americans and Latinos. Pierce says he is determined now to spread the word about prevention. "Information is the greatest tool," he said. " A lot of people are taking heed to the power in the information. Since 1997 I think people are taking it a lot more seriously because of the loss of lives. In a small community like East Palo Alto, those deaths don't go unnoticed." Contact Loretta Green at lgreen@mercurynews.com or (650) 688-7565. Fax (650) 688-7555. Site design by: Dolphin Webpage Designs © 1996-2003