May 19 is National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and World Hepatitis 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.

Another National Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day and World Hepatitis Day have come and gone. We are proud of the community for stepping up and participating in working together with the Banyan Tree Project to commemorate both of these days.

In San Francisco, we held a press conference addressing the twin epidemics of HIV and Hepatitis B. The press conference featured Dr. Tri Do of UCSF, California Assemblywoman and Speaker pro Tempore Fiona Ma, Ryan Ong Palao aka "Ongina" of RuPaul's Drag Race and Asian & Pacific Islander Wellness Center Executive Director Lance Toma. (Check out KTSF-26's coverage of our press conference above! Coverage is in Mandarin.)

In Boston, our partners MAP for Health held a special commemoration honoring our dear colleague Ramani Sripada. In Honolulu, Life Foundation held its second annual "Island Roots" celebration, featuring slam poetry and film, and testing nearly 20 participants for HIV and Hepatitis C. In Los Angeles, Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team held opened its doors for HIV testing for 6 hours. Our Washington DC partners, Asian Pacific Islander American Health Forum held a conference in New York. Across the Pacific, many events happened all over the different islands of Hawai`i and even as far away in the Federated States of Micronesia. Closer to home, there were events in San Diego and San Jose. Another event happened in Doraville, Georgia.

And while May 19 may have passed, events raising awareness are still happening. Just yesterday, a few of our colleagues were testing at a Daly City, California mall. Today, APAIT will be raising awareness at the Orange County AIDS Walk. The new and growing Marshallese community of Springdale, Arkansas will be handing out information at the Marshall Islands Constitution Day Celebration on May 29.

More importantly, we need all of you to keep May 19 in minds, not just on May 19, but everyday. HIV is far from being over. What we all do between now and May 19, 2011 matters. We need to raise awareness everyday. We encourage all of you reading this penultimate posting to fight HIV-related stigma where you see it. We want you to help break the circle of silence and shame surrounding HIV. Get tested. Share the message. Keep talking about HIV.