IF YOU’VE SEEN THE FILM…

You know me, and my feelings about the word epidemic…So this article is saying that 1 in 20 Black DC residents is HIV positive. I’m traveling overseas this week, so I have neither the time nor the inclination to jump on this one, but my instincts cry BS. Can somebody help a brother out and go to the CDC and get the infection rate (my guess is that this number includes a ”projection” based on undiagnosed cases. Then total number of DC residents (black)…this just sounds way off, but remember my line, “if they get you to buy into the problem, then you have to purchase the solution”

DC BLACK POPULATION (322,105 - US CENSUS: 2006)

So following the premise of the following story there are 16,105 black people in DC who are HIV positice and 6442 AIDS cases.

 

D.C. Highest In HIV/AIDS Epidemic

WRC-TV

 

WASHINGTON - A new report released Monday shows that HIV/AIDS is sweeping across the Washington-Metropolitan region with devastating consequences. The Whitman Walker clinic said the District has an HIV/AIDS infection rate that is 10 times the national average.

The 120-page report, which is the city’s first on HIV/AIDS since 2000, shows that about 1 in 20 city residents has HIV and 1 in 50 have AIDS, with the disease growing at an alarming rate in the black community.

According to the report, more than 80 percent of the HIV cases identified between 2001 and 2006 were blacks, and among women who tested positive about 9 out of 10 were black.

The District’s AIDS rate is the worst of any city in the country and has been climbing faster than that of many jurisdictions, health officials said.

Health officials also said that in 2004 the number of new HIV cases among men and women ages 40 to 49 began to rise, outpacing every other age group in the city

 OBTW, doesn’t this look like the number of New diagnosises and AIDS cases are decreasing? Need to get my prescription checked on my glasses.

WORLD AIDS DAY PSA ACKNOWLEDGEMENT (Keith Boykin)

World AIDS Day

By Keith Boykin, in sexuality
Friday, December 1 2006, 8:55AM

Debunking Myths About Black Men

Today is World AIDS Day. That’s the one day each year when we are all supposed to come together and appreciate the impact of the AIDS epidemic and rededicate ourselves to stopping it. Been there, done that. It’s still a good idea, but it’s not enough.

We can’t stop the AIDS epidemic until we stop the lies that fuel the epidemic. That’s why today I’m featuring the video (above) about black men. (Just click on the image to see the video.) It deconstructs some of the most popular myths about black men in America. One of those myths — that there are more black men in prison than in college — was actually repeated last year by the President of Harvard University. Is it any wonder, then, that so many others buy into the myths?

Another popular myth is that black men on the down low are responsible for the AIDS epidemic. The video discounts that assumption, and now new research by the CDC’s Dr. Greg Millett helps to disprove this theory. The research, reported in this week’s Gay City News, indicates that men on the down low are not the cause of the AIDS epidemic in black America.

New Research on Black Men and HIV

“Among the dozen explanations studied, three leading theories were ruled out by Millett’s work. Significantly, the assumption of higher risk behavior among black MSM-as measured by unprotected anal intercourse, total number of sex partners, and commercial sex work-was not found to explain the differential in infection rates relative to non-black gay and bi men. This conclusion was based on a review of more than 25 separate studies,” GCN reported.

Also important, self-identity does not determine risk for HIV. “Black [men who have sex with men] who don’t disclose their sexual behavior compared to black MSM who do disclose their sexual behavior are less likely to be HIV-positive, they’re less likely to engage in unprotected sex with more than five male partners lifetime, and they engage in less unprotected sex generally,” according to Millett.

Millett’s work was co-authored by John L. Peterson, Ph.D., Richard J. Wolitski, Ph. D., and Ron Stall, MPH, and published in the American Journal of Public Health.

LONDON HERE I COME!

What Black Men Think + Q&A

What Black Men Think, Dir Janks Morton, US 2007

2 December 2007

Janks Morton presents a searing examination of the role that myths, stereotypes and misrepresentations have played in modern-era black relationships and how government, media and black leadership can perpetuate misinformation to further marginalise black men. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the director.

www.bfmmedia.com

Dir Janks Morton, US 2007, tbc mins

£8 / £7 Concessions / £6 ICA Members

THE MOVEMENT IS CONVERGING!

For Immediate Release A POWERFUL double feature film festival saluting two independent films that are headed for NAACP Image Awards Nominations:“WHAT BLACK MEN THINK” - #1 selling DVD in African American Cinema/African American Heritage on AMAZON.com “DIARY OF A TIRED BLACK MAN” - The movie trailer that caused a controversial internet sensation leading to well over 1 million visitors NOW made into a full-length movie.    This limited engagement (ONE WEEK ONLY) will begin: Monday, November 12 thru Friday, November 16 @ 12 NOON Saturday, November 17 @ 1:30 pm Sunday, November 18 @ 10AM Lucy Florence Theater 3351 W. 43rd St. Los Angeles (Leimert Park), Ca  90008 $10 These screenings will run back to back starting with “What Black Men Think” featuring some of the greatest minds in the African American community discussing issues of today.  (87 minutes) Following is the drama/documentary, “Diary of a Tired Black Man” that has had audiences roar about the realities of today’s relationships. (107 minutes) All Proceeds will be donated to: Sojourn Services for Battered Women and Their Children www.opcc.org ALL SCREENINGS OPEN TO PUBLIC!

SCREENING CHENEY STATE

AMAZING PRESS RELEASE COMING!

ALL i HAVE TO SAY IS IT INVOLVES THE 2 MOST IMPORTANT BLACK FILMS OF 2007, AND IT IS GOING TO KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF..HERE’S A HINT

ABC NEWS RESEARCH CONFIRMS ASSERTIONS OF PSA

Speak Freely

The Headlines From Around the African American Community

ABC News producer Eddie Pinder died July 12, 2007. Eddie began his career at ABC News in 1997. Admired and beloved, he will be missed.

Speak Freely/The Truth About Black Men

December 08, 2006 1:33 PM

Eddie Pinder

SPEAK FREELY/ THE TRUTH ABOUT BLACK MEN

My friend, Derek, sent an email and link to a promotion on MySpace.com about a new movie, What Black Men Think, which seeks to dispel myths about us.  They call it a PSA… a public service announcement.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=1396586762
I don’t know anything about the producers.  I have not contacted them.  I have just visited their website on MySpace.

I was curious about the title because I am a black man and I too have heard some of the painful so-called facts about black men in America.  You know the ones:  there are more college-aged black men in jail than in college.  Less than half of us graduate from high school.  And about a third of us are in jail.  Depressing.

And quite frankly, I thought all of it was true.  That’s because when I see young black men in inner city New York, I see men who appear to fit the stereotype.  Pants hanging down.  Timberland boots unlaced.  Hair braided in corn-rows. Gangsta slang.  Urban bop.  Most times, I read the paper and see more stories about us in the crime section than in the business section.  I hear Bill Cosby castigate us on national TV for bad habits and bad English.  (My bad: I know I should say “poor” English).

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who was alarmed and concerned  The makers of the film, What Black Men Think, say in their promo that all of this is not true but they don’t back it up with research.  So we did… and by we, I mean my friend, Nick, from the ABC News research department.  He found that most of the PSA was right and most of the B-S is factually wrong.

The myth: More college-aged black men are in jail than in college.
The film says: More black men 18-24 are actually in college (469,000) as compared to prison (180,000).
What we found: In 2005, there were 106,000 black men (18-24) in prison. (Bureau of Justice Statistics)
And 402,000 full time black male college students, 71,000 part time. (US Census)

The myth: 1 out of 2 black men do not graduate high school.
The film says: 74.2 percent of black men graduate high shcool
What we found:  79.5 percent of black males 18 years and over are high school graduates or higher. (US Census) But for black males 18-19 years old 53% have not graduated high school. The high 79% number shows that eventually they do get a diploma or equivalency.

The myth:  1 out of 3 black men are incarcerated.
The film says: It’s only 290,000 out of 16,794,000 black men who are incarcerated.
What we found:  In 2005, there were 547,200 black males in prison out of a total population of 24,315,000 black men in 2002. (BJS/US Census)

I was happily shocked.  But now that I know the truth about black men, I’m saddened. The news is still bad but just not as bad as I thought.  And more importantly, I’m concerned about who and what gave birth to this perception in the first place.  And why people like me are midwives who are quick to believe it.

Click here for more information:

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/p05.pdf

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/p05.pdf

http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/education/cps2005/tab01a-04.xls

http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/race/black/ppl-164/tab01.pdf

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/reports/2006supp_vol12no1/table4.htm

Please feel free to comment.  Some of your comments will be read on the ABC News Now’s show, Speak Freely, with Ron Claiborne and me.

eddie

CHARLESTON DAILY

More in jail or in college?

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IN his movie, “What Black Men Think,” director Janks Morton goes around asking black men this question: Are there more black men in college or in jail?What follows is a montage of black men giving the same one-word answer: “Jail.”

But is it true, or a damaging stereotype that should be discarded?

Morton goes on to do something the rest of us ought to do more often — question the basis for such commonly made assertions. The Rev. Jesse Jackson repeated it in September in speaking of the case of the “Jena 6,” in which six young blacks in tiny Jena, La., were charged in connection with the beating of a white student after somebody hung nooses from a tree.

Jesse Jackson wouldn’t get a thing like incarceration vs. education wrong, would he?

Well . . . .

Morton notes that in 2005, according to the Census Bureau, there were 864,000 black men in college.

And according to the Justice Department, there were 802,000 black men in jails and state and federal prisons.

Statistics are complicated, and there has been some quibbling about the numbers.

But nothing has eroded Morton’s useful observation that the jail and prison statistic reflects an age cohort of 18 to 55, while the age range for college-going males is generally 18 to 24.

It’s an apples-to-oranges comparison.

The ratio of young black men in college to young black men incarcerated is actually more like 4-to-1, Morton contends, yet even blacks don’t see themselves in that light.

The stereotypical view affects what black men think of their prospects, and what black women think of them.

It’s easy to see how this could do harm.

The stereotype is promoted and maintained, Morton says, by “agenda-driven” organizations like the Justice Policy Institute and the NAACP, which are concerned about the incarceration rate of blacks.

That’s a worthy question, but a different issue.

The argument over statistics should certainly continue, but Morton is right: The reckless repetition of profoundly misleading stereotypes should stop.

THE JACKSON SUN

Media distort our images of blacks

The other night, I decided to relax and watch a movie, titled, “What Black Men Think,” a documentary meant to address the growing malaise affecting today’s African-American community. The movie was also meant to address the modern media’s negative stereotypical portrayal of America’s black males. The movie pointed out how malevolent the media has been in distorting the images of black men using sophisticated techniques and statistics.One of the first questions the movie asks is, “are there more black men in college or in jail?” The director asked what appeared to be hundreds of people from all walks of life this question and pretty much everyone interviewed shouted “in jail,” not only quickly, but also with much conviction (no pun intended). Even people from other countries who had never even been to America shouted, much too swiftly, “in jail.”Not only are there more black males in college than in jail, but depending on which data you use, the difference is about four to one. You see, the tacit implications often given by today’s media lend credence to the ever-growing notion that the majority of black men are rappers, criminals or athletes. What was truly disheartening was to see so many young black people shout “in jail” without so much as a second thought.Today’s media must recognize how malleable the general public tends to be, and it must become responsible enough to not only balance its coverage not only of black men but of Americans as a whole. I recognize that bad news sells, and it also feeds into our salacious tendencies and sometimes even makes us feel better about ourselves. We need to be wary of this negative imaging, because it may well turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. If all young black people really believe that there are more black men in jail than in college, they tend to become less afraid of jail. The media, if it intends to make a real difference, ought to be more willing to present more positive images of American lifeMaybe we should all stop and smell the roses. In this community we have a number of positive black men. People like coach Victor C. Clark, who dedicated his time and money to assist inner-city youth through his various athletic programs. Men like Lane College President Dr. Wesley Cornelius McClure, who is instrumental in the education of a host of young men and transitioning them to be positive role models who won’t make the news. Men like attorney Nathan Pride, Councilman Johnny Dodd, Tony Black, Terry Smith and a host of preachers, teachers and others who do positive things on a daily basis with little or no recognition. We have communities all over this country laden with positive men black and white willing to make a difference, yet the media’s primary focus is on gangsta-rappers and men like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton who are interested in “monologue rather than dialogue.” Many people (myself included) often ask why Jesse and Al don’t say anything about the series of homicides happening inside the black community? First, it is because there is no money to be made protesting black on black crime. Second, it is because the media controls them, not vice-versa. The major networks only call them when there is a black against white hot button issue that is controversial and will improve ratings. So before we get too comfortable blaming the Rev. Jackson and the Rev. Sharpton for fanning the flames of racial tension, let us bear in mind that they are only the puppets not the puppet masters. I personally doubt if either of them could get on television if they happened even to stumble upon a legitimate social cause with an agent. “What Black Men Think” is a must-see for today’s young people being hoodwinked and bamboozled by the myths emanating from a race-conscious media. And while we as adults spend so much time harping on all of the dysfunctional garbage being spewed from the minds and mouths of our young people, when all is said and done we better wake up and realize that it may very well be us who created many of these modern day Frankensteins. Daryl Hubbard is a resident of Jackson. He serves as court clerk for Jackson City Court. Write to him c/o The Jackson Sun, P.O. Box 1059, Jackson, TN 38302. Or send e-mail to opinions@jacksonsun.com.

ARIZONA BLACK EXPO

 SATURDAY: OCTOBER 27th 4:30pm

The Arizona Black Film Showcase Presents (AZBFS) Janks Morton, Producer, Director, Writer and Editor of the ground breaking film, What Black Men Think!” This dynamic film was designed to debunk myths and stereotypes of the African American male.  It succeeds and does much more.  It stimulates a dialogue inside and outside of the black community about how African American males are portrayed by the media, in statistics and how this is internalized by the masses. Meet the man who is destroying the myths.