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he . TR i urging all upporter,
and Affiliate to hold pr conference on 41
1 /94 in oppo ilion to the Crime Bill H.R. 4092.
Ja rta Vol. II Issue 12 hould erve a th ba is
of the content or the pre conference. Gra
root mobilization i nece .ary to I t your
member of ongr know of your oppo ilion.
RIG
B ginning on fay 27th the � will I d bus
aravan a�ro s the South to alert p ople to th
dangers or the current attacks on the Voting Rights
A t a 8 result of the W v. 0 d ision. Th
tour: Dallas (27th); Dallas-Ft. Worth (2 th):
Hou 'ton & Baton Rouge (LA)(29th); Missis ippi,
.10bile (AL) & Tallahass e ( LH30th)�
Ja k ronville (31 '1); Decatur & Atlant (G ) (Jun
1 u): ugusta (GA) & Columbia ( ) (Znd):
. harlotte (3rd); Rocky Mount C)(Sth): nd
• 'ew port News or Richmond (V )(Sth).
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CONNECT WITH.US
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AID : the second d cad
focus on
lac k Americans
By NOR AN NICKENS
Sp.c _, to th. chlR__n Clt/nn
per
EARLD GO
I the
Commentary
i unlikely that th rising in i­
den of AIDS in th Bl ck com­
munity will slow down or
reverse, unl we, as Black pe0-
ple, do something about it.
Th most effective way for re­
ducing th . P d of HIV, th
virus hat cau es AIDS, i edu­
ca ion. African Ameri must
educat th m I about how
to prot themselves nd oth rs
from infection and how to stop
engaging 'in high risk b havior
- which means having unpro-
tect ex with multiple part-
n .nd sharing n dles with
key to treatingAIDS- related dis­
e and infections. Doctors can
treat many of t infections
once they develop. In som
cases, they can prevent them
from developing. Doctors can
also provide you with informa­
tion about treatments that n
slow th rep rod uction of HIV,
which prolongs the time until an
infection might develop.
PEOPLE T mGH ris for
HIV inti ion hould talk to
doctor or counselor. He or she
will help you analyze your situ­
ation and decide if you should
consider HIV testing. If you do
d ide to get the HIV test, base
your decision on facts and your
needs. In a very short time, if you
ke the test, you'll know where
you stand.
Should You Be Tested?
Getting The Test
Getting the test for HIV is a
fairly simple process. But mak-
If you ha v never us i nj -
tion drugs, nor had exual int r­
cour or r c ived blood
Discoveries spar renewed
lack pride · n Mr· ca
By James E. Alsbrook
Two leading magazin .
ended Black History Month by
questioning the value of Black
Studies and Afrocentrism in col­
I ges and public schools.
The U.S. Ne and World Re­
port carried an opi nion by John
L 0 ttacking what it called
"Th Junking of History . " It id
m ny po t r and writing
bou' Black History we un-
tru . It dredged up th Tawan
Brawley case, r peated old n ws
bout th HoI ust, and belit-
tl Alex Hal y's tatement that
history is writ Ii by the victo .
Essence magazine ran an
opinion piece by Henry Lewis
Gat , Black chairman of Afro­
American S udi and Dulsois
prof or of Humaniti at.Har­
vard. Gates wrote that "Too
many Black Studies programs
ha ve become quasi-religious
amen corne " and "we ne d
truths, not new 'methodologies.'"
eith r th whit m . Leo
nor the Black man Gates has
suffered too much from the psy­
chological dam that ffiicts
millions of African-Americans.
tory of Egypt but brilliant nd
innovative in its own rights."
"The first sign of Nubian
civilization appeared about
3,800 B.C."
"Thousands of arti facts cre­
ated by ubians f1 a cul­
ture dating back almost 6,000
y ..
." hoI rs a finding in the
rtif cts striking' vidence of
ubia's influ. nc on Egyp ian
quotes:
"In r a ns th rising
Nil W ters impound by th
Aswan Dam, th world's archae­
ologists join for 30 y ars
r' go to alvage the monuments
and other remnan of ncient
Nubia, Black Afri n cult �B
long ove hado by th hi-
TM
E .PECT of that
damage are low If-est m, fre­
quent self-hatred, and feelings of
See PRIDE, A8
DR. NORMAN NICKENS
ing the decision to have th test
is more complicated. Before
blood i taken, a counselor
should explain the advanta
and disadvantages of mv t­
ing. If you decide to have the test
after counseling, then a doctor,
nurse, or technician will draw
ome blood from your arm.
Mter the Test:
Then what?
A positive t st result does
NOT m an that you have AIDS.
It means that you have probably
n infected with HlV, the vi­
rus that causes AID . Studies of
long-term survivors ofHIV have
shown us that those who seek
and follow treatment, who es­
tablish a good relationship with
a doctor, who maintain a posi­
tive attitude toward life, and
who get support tend to do bet­
ter.
With good medical care and
prop r tre III nt, HIV infection,
whil not curabl , can be man­
ageable. And n w techniques
and medicines are being devel­
oped as each y r passes.
Facing the fact that you're in­
ti ed with a potentially fatal
infection is v ry difficult. The
first step is to talk with a coun­
selor. A counselor can help you
learn how to take charge of your
life and live with th virus rather
than spend your time waiting to
die from it. It's okay to be scared.
Almost everyone with HIV is.
Now you also have decisions to
make about handling this infec­
tion.
Here are some important
steps to follow:
Find an HIV-wise doctor or
medical clinic
A good, ongoing relationship
with a doctor or medical practi­
tioner will be one of your best
tools.
Get treatment!
You'll need a doctor who
knows mv infection and how it
operates, and who is familiar
with up-to-date medications and
therapies. .
Find people whom you feel .
will care about you!
Select a medical helper who
makes you and memb rs of your
inner circle f el comfortable to
discuss it all: treatment x,
li ving well, and handling fears
about ickn and dying.
n R member, you are not
alon
Th re are a millionpeople in
th USA who are living with
my.
havior.