Political Quotes

“And we learned that this disease was a global pandemic. It is disproportionately affecting people of color, Latinos, African Americans. It is devastating the continent of Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, and it is a ticking time bomb in many developing countries. The most important lesson we have learned is that HIV can be prevented and it starts with breaking the silence. And once again I want to commend my colleagues for helping us do that once again tonight on the floor of Congress. Now, in my district in Alameda County, California, HIV/AIDS has disproportionately affected the African American community. While the number of new diagnoses for virtually every segment of the population was declining, it was rapidly moving in the opposite direction for African Americans in Alameda County and also for the Latino community. According to data provided by the Alameda Department of Health and Human Services in 1998, nearly 60 percent of the new HIV infections were occurring among African Americans, even though African Americans account for only 18 percent of the county's population. Of the new infections in Alameda County, a growing number of infections are occurring among women. Through a community-wide initiative, a state of emergency task force was formed, and on November 4, 1998, the Alameda County Public Health Officer declared a public health emergency on AIDS in Alameda County's African American community.”