Black, Hispanic Leaders Must Do More To Provide AIDS Education, Editorial Says

Black and Hispanic leaders, "including public officials and ministers," must do more "to educate the young and old about the devastating effects that HIV/AIDS is having on them and their communities," a Fort Worth Star-Telegram editorial says. According to CDC, blacks and Hispanics each represent about 13% of the U.S. population, but the groups accounted for 70% of the new AIDS cases reported in 2002, the editorial notes. In addition, people living in southern states account for 33% of the U.S. population but account for 40% of the nation's AIDS cases, the editorial says. Highlighting that March 6-13 is designated as "Black Church Week of Prayer for the Healing of AIDS," the editorial says that the week "would be a good time for ministers who have been on the sideline of this issue to finally get involved." The Star-Telegram concludes, "The urgency is such that neither denial nor complacency is acceptable" (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2/12).