May 19 is National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This blog post is one of a series on the impact of HIV and Hepatitis B in Asian & Pacific Islander communities. As A&PIs, you may not believe that you are at risk for these diseases, but you are. Follow our posts throughout the week for different perspectives and stories from our community.

Stigma related to HIV and AIDS within our Asian and Pacific Islander communities really underscores a taboo about talking about anything related to sex and illness.  The immorality of having AIDS or HIV becomes the predominant silencer instead of a healthy discourse about just another disease and getting appropriate screening and treatment for the disease so one can live a healthier life.  If we dismiss our own communities’ risk to HIV and AIDS, why shouldn’t policymakers and funders?

We are consistently ignored by policymakers and funders and have to make our case to be heard, in every forum because our community is not the face or do not make up the largest numbers for AIDS cases in the United States. The lower numbers are good news…and unfortunately these numbers are rising.  HIV and AIDS predominantly affect the African American and Latino communities today. And some preliminary analysis suggests that AIDS case rates will increase past Latino communities by 2016 for A&PIs if we continue with little attention and resources to this critical issue.  Remember HIV transmission is PREVENTABLE!  So this really needs to be our policy strategy working with our local, state and federal partners because health and wellness is a national priority for all communities. 

In this effort, we need to get more local, state and national elected officials championing resources for A&PI communities and HIV.  Many of our Congressional, Assembly, Senate and City or County Council representatives can do more because I know they care –we just need to engage them more on this critical health issue. 

Our federal partners in government are also important to engage.  Recently several HIV and health community based organizations met with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention in a formal community consultation to dialogue about the emerging HIV epidemic in our communities.  They were very receptive and open about engaging with us and partnering with community experts to deepen the understanding of the epidemic.  I applaud CDC for holding this consultation; and at the same time, it also took over 2 years of advocacy to get this meeting and almost 30 years into the HIV epidemic to have this First Historic meeting on A&PIs and HIV, when other communities have had more attention and focus. For more information  about this event go to http://www.apiwellness.org/home.html 

If we don’t raise our voices for our communities, who else will?  Do we wait until more people get sick with HIV or even die and the increased numbers of A&PIs show the data trend was indeed correct? Do we let the our collective feelings of shame allow silence about HIV because it’s too difficult to “talk about”?.

How can you get involved? Call one of the Banyan Tree Project http://www.banyantreeproject.org partners to see how you can become involved in advocating for your community.  There are plenty of opportunities.  Respond and put your opinion out on this blog.  Bring this issue to talk about to your group of friends.  It’s all about starting a conversation and creating action NOW and on May 19!!!