Brooklyn Borough President

MARKOWITZ HOSTS BLACK HIV/AIDS AWARENESS BREAKFAST

Points to education and prevention to end crisis

Photographs by Kathryn Kirk

In photo (From left): Brooklyn Lives Project Director L. Joy Williams, Deputy Borough President Yvonne Graham, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Leadership Commission on AIDS of NYC Executive Director Dee Bailey.

On Tuesday, February 7, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and Deputy Borough President Yvonne Graham hosted a breakfast at Brooklyn Borough Hall as part of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The Black Leadership Commission on AIDS of New York City organizes the event each year to address the disproportionate rates of HIV/AIDS infection among communities of color, especially in Central Brooklyn, which is the epicenter of the epidemic. The event also highlighted the commission’s Brooklyn Lives Project, an education and testing initiative focused on Brooklynites of color.

“Our diverse communities, particularly Brooklynites of color, suffer disproportionate rates of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and HIV/AIDS compared to the nation, the state, and even the other boroughs,” said Borough President Markowitz. “Today as we focus attention on reducing the high rates of HIV infection among communities of color, we must re-double our efforts to educate Brooklynites that, unlike cancer, HIV/AIDS is preventable, and that healthy lifestyles and responsible behavior aren’t just good for you, they’re a matter of life and death.”

Deputy Borough President Yvonne Graham emphasized efforts to prevent the spread of the disease. “As a registered nurse and an African American woman, this issue hits home for me. Working together with the Black Leadership Commission, I will do what is needed to ensure that Brooklyn residents are aware of the rising issue of HIV/AIDS in their communities.”