A conspiracy of silence

There is a conspiracy in this country which is partially responsible for why Blacks and Hispanics contract HIV at disturbing rates. This is a conspiracy borne of a lack of accurate information, a history of mistreatment in research studies and unbalanced media coverage of HIV-related news, not to mention issues surrounding sexuality and government mistrust.

The lack of good HIV information in our communities of color allows myths to take over.

Do any of these sound familiar? "AIDS was created to kill off Black and Hispanic people." "There is already a vaccine that could prevent the spread of HIV, but because it only works on Blacks and Hispanics, no one wants to invest in it." Or that "HIV is only a problem in Africa--not Philadelphia."

We don't have to explain to you how this conspiracy has played out. Black gay males are less likely to get tested for HIV so are less likely to know their status.¹

African American and Hispanic women are 25 times and six times, respectively, more likely to contract HIV than their White counterparts.² Fifty percent of new, U.S. HIV diagnoses occur in our Black population.³ And while efforts are underway to produce a vaccine for the virus, at this rate we won't have enough Blacks and Hispanics in those studies to make sure the vaccine will work for all people of color.

There is an urgent need to increase African American and Hispanic participation in HIV vaccine trials in order to make sure that it will work for the people who are most in need. And right now the myths that are spread about HIV are hurting this effort. We can begin to stop the conspiracy here and now if you'll help us break the silence.

The HVTN Legacy Project
The Legacy Project works to increase the participation of people of color in HIV vaccine trials. Our goal is to make sure the HIV vaccine works for the populations most affected by the virus.

Steven Wakefield, Legacy Project Director
HIV Vaccine Trials Network
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
1100 Fairview Avenue North LE-500
PO Box 19024
Seattle, WA 98109-1024
legacy@hvtn.org