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WHEREAS, the organization Educating Teens about HIV/AIDS, Inc. is charged with educating pre-teens, teenagers, and young adults about the deadly impact of the HIV virus, AIDS, and Sexually Transmitted Diseases through collaboration with the greater community; and
WHEREAS, on March 24, 25 and 26 Educating Teens about HIV/AIDS will celebrate its Eighth Annual Educating Teens about HIV/AIDS Month with a conference on the Economic Impact of HIV/AIDS and the Eighth Annual Teen HIV/AIDS Awareness Day; and
WHEREAS, the conference theme is "Putting our Future First: Reclaiming our Youth through Community Connections." This conference is designed to bring together school officials, educators, business leaders, community leaders, and the general public to assume a greater role in prevention education for HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections; and
WHEREAS, the 19th annual World AIDS Day was observed on Dec. 1, 2007. We are now more than 26 years into the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Experts agree that the goal of a world free of AIDS can be achieved with genuine commitment and adequate funding from all stakeholders and those affected. HIV/AIDS, while 100% preventable, continues to have a devastating effect on communities across the country and around the world; and,
WHEREAS, today, nearly seven in 10 new AIDS cases are among African-Americans or Latinos. Not only are minority groups disproportionately more likely to receive an AIDS diagnosis, they also are more likely than their White counterparts to die from AIDS. Moreover, African-American and Latino female teenagers, aged 13 to 19 years of age, account for nearly 9 in 10 new AIDS cases among that population group; and,
WHEREAS, it is incumbent upon us to galvanize our communities to address the impact HIV/AIDS has on the health and well-being of our young people. As infection rates for teens and young adults increase, it is more important than ever to redouble our education and prevention efforts, particularly in the African-American and Latino communities whose young people are hardest hit by the disease; and
WHEREAS, as the organization and conference's founder Kezia Ellison has been committed to this effort since first embarking on the project in 2001;
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NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby commend an support the crucial work Educating Teens about HIV/AIDS performs;
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Pittsburgh's City Council proclaims Tuesday, March 25, Teen HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.