Black AIDS Institute Honors 10 People for Contributions in Fight Against HIV/AIDS

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday profiled Jerry Lopes, president of program operations and affiliations at the American Urban Radio Networks, who is one of 10 people to be honored for their contributions in the fight against HIV/AIDS on Friday in Hollywood, Calif., at the Black AIDS Institute's fourth annual 2004 Heroes in the Struggle awards. American Urban Radio Networks four years ago partnered with BAI, BET, Essence magazine, the National Newspaper Publishers Association and others to form the Black Media Task Force on AIDS. "One of the things that we as media people need are resources. We need quickly to be able to access things," Lopes said, adding, "The mission of the Black AIDS Institute is to be our resource guide. To make sure we have all the elements we need to get the story covered" (Haynes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 11/10). The other honorees include human rights advocate and civil rights leader Coretta Scott King; Dr. Joycelyn Elders, who served as surgeon general under former President Clinton; actress Jenifer Lewis; Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Calif.); Gwendolyn Boyd, national president of Delta Sigma Theta sorority; Stuart Burden, director of community affairs at Levi Strauss & Company/Americas; Patricia Nalls, founder and executive director of the Women's Collective; Dr. M. Keith Rawlings, medical director of Peabody Health Center in Dallas, Texas; and Dr. Ron Simmons, executive director of US Helping US. The institute also is honoring pharmaceutical company Merck as its corporate hero (BAI Web site, 11/10).