BLACK LEADERS IGNORED AIDS CRISIS

THE dramatic action by Alameda County officials in declaring a state of
emergency to get federal funds to combat AIDS/HIV infection among blacks
shouldn't be a surprise. How else to call attention to the fact that blacks
in the county make up nearly half of those diagnosed with the disease,
though they are only 18 percent of the population?

Alameda County is not the only place devastated by AIDS. A Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention report indicated about 40 percent of all AIDS
cases in 1996 in the U.S. were blacks. This comes at a time when AIDS deaths
have dropped among whites. With a health crisis that wreaks this kind of
carnage, it shouldn't take a state of emergency to get a rush of aid from
state and federal officials. But it did.

It's easy to blame uncaring politicians, insensitive health officials,
public indifference and, of course, racism for the crisis. But these usual
suspects aren't the only ones to blame. Many blacks ignored it too. As the
death toll rose among blacks, many black leaders and organizations kept
silent or denied that it was a major problem. Too many clung to the myth
that AIDS was a ``white gay disease.''

Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and some black writers and rappers
called homosexuality a deviant lifestyle that threatens black communities.
They relentlessly ridicule black males who don't act like ``real'' men as
``sissies'' and ``faggots'' -- mindless name-calling driven by genuine fears
concerning masculinity and by deeply held religious beliefs.

>From cradle to grave, many blacks have believed and accepted the propaganda
that the only real men in American society are white men. In a vain attempt
to recapture their denied masculinity, many black men mirrored America's
traditional fear and hatred of homosexuality.

Many blacks also listened to black ministers condemn any man who dared think
about, yearn for or actually engage in the ``godless'' and ``unnatural'' act
of having a sexual relationship with another man. When that belief was
challenged, they would quickly flip to the oft-cited line from the Bible in
Leviticus that brands the act of men lying down with men as ``the
abomination.''

These myths, lies and stereotypes prevented a frank discussion of AIDS among
blacks. But now that the crisis has imploded within black communities, many
blacks are taking action. The National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People has launched a crash program of AIDS education. The
Congressional Black Caucus pushed President Clinton to add $156 million in
federal funds for treatment and prevention programs. Black health
professionals plan to make AIDS prevention a top priority. Most important,
all major historically black church groups have called for a Black Church
Speak-Out on AIDS on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1.

This was much too long in coming but it will do more to exorcise the old
myths among blacks about AIDS than emergency declarations by public
officials.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is the author of ``The Crisis in Black and Black.''
This was written for the Los Angeles Times.

Checked-by: Don Beck