African Americans and Latinos represent about 25% of the US population but they make up more than 50% of new AIDS cases reported to the U.S. CDC (CDC 2000).

Us Helping Us

  UHU logo

Us Helping Us (UHU), incorporated in 1988 as a self-help group for HIV positive Black gay and bisexual men, provides a safe space for Black PLWHA who are marginalized and stigmatized by their race, sexuality, and disease. UHU is the largest gay-identified Black AIDS organization serving the African American community in metropolitan Washington, D.C. UHU uses a variety of community-, group- and individual-level techniques to address and reduce HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination.

With funding from AED, UHU challenged stigma related to HIV/AIDS, sexual orientation, mode of transmission, and race within the Black community through the development of a media campaign and community-level education forums. One primary message of the campaign was: it is the responsibility of the infected or affected by HIV/AIDS as well as the entire community to eliminate discriminatory practices and behaviors directed towards individuals because of their HIV status, sexual orientation, and/or race.

More details on the outcomes of this project, under the first phase of the National HIV/AIDS Anti-stigma Initiative, will be posted shortly.

Posted 27/06/08:
AED's new fact sheet is now available on the home page!

Posted 21/05/08:
New HIV/AIDS-related stigma Literature Review available. Please visit the Resource section to download the document.