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Welcome: A Message from Pernessa C. Seele
 Years
ago, when I was working at Harlem Hospital, I was stunned by the sight of people
and families suffering from AIDS amid a seemingly heartless community, that neither
understood the reasons for their pain, nor sought to alleviate their suffering.
How could Black America, for the first time in its history, turn away from brothers
and sisters caught in a crisis that could destroy the community at its very roots?
Why was the response to the AIDS crisis different from previous crises - enslavement,
discrimination, and lynching?
It was revealed to me that what was missing was the faith imperative - the
directive from religious leaders to their congregations to learn, act and care
as their Lord would expect of them in the age of HIV/AIDS.
Today, thousands of Black churches throughout our country are delivering AIDS
education, direct services to those infected with HIV, and spiritual care
to all of us affected by this epidemic. I believe prayer and education indeed
change things!
Since 1989, The
Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS has been the catalyst
for educating and mobilizing over 10,000 churches to provide AIDS education to
their congregations and communities. Today, the Black Church Week of Prayer for
the Healing of AIDS is the largest AIDS awareness program targeting the African
American community with an estimated reach of over 2.5 million church members
alone.
As we move forward in this fight against AIDS, let us be mindful that it is
the silence, denial and stigma of AIDS that continues to cripple our community's
response to AIDS education, HIV testing and treatment. The involvement of
all churches in this battle against AIDS is imperative if we are to conquer
this epidemic here at home and throughout the global village.
May we all be resurrected from our silence and denial of HIV/AIDS in the Black
community and ascend to a new consciousness of Christian responsibility for
all of God's children.
As always, I AM forever yours in the healing Consciousness of Jesus Christ!
Pernessa C. Seele
Founder/CEO
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