Overview:
February 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which spotlights the progress and the ongoing challenges to preventing HIV transmission among Black Americans.
This weekend, communities nationwide will mark Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, or NBHAAD, during an urgent time for people living with the disease and those who support them.
More than four decades after the epidemic began, Black Americans continue to receive a disproportionate share of new HIV diagnoses. Despite lifesaving medical developments over the past 30 years, Black people still face structural and societal barriers that make prevention, testing, and treatment harder to access.
Each year on Feb. 7, activists, community leaders and health advocates use the day to spotlight inequities and to encourage people at risk to seek out testing, prevention, and community support. But advocates note that this year, the Trump administration has opted out of official observances.
In fact, unlike previous years, NBHAAD isn’t mentioned on the government’s official hiv.gov website.
“The federal government wiped NBHAAD along with several other HIV/AIDS awareness days, including Trans HIV/AIDS Testing Day and Gay Men’s HIV/AIDS Awareness Day,” the website for Equitas Health notes. Equitas Health is a nonprofit community healthcare system that’s been serving patients in Ohio, Texas, Kentucky, and West Virginia since 1984 — back when an HIV/AIDS diagnosis was tantamount to a death sentence.
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In 2023, Black Americans accounted for 39% of people living with HIV and 38% of new HIV diagnoses in the U.S., despite making up just 12% of the population. Black men and Black women had the highest rate of new HIV diagnoses among all races or ethnicities. Additionally, young Black people between ages 13 and 24 accounted for almost half of all new HIV diagnoses in that age group.
The disparities are especially stark among Black gay and bisexual men, Black transgender women, and Black women in the South.
Real but Uneven Progress
Unlike in past decades, medical progress — including improved antiretroviral therapy and breakthrough drugs like pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP — means HIV-positive patients can now expect near-normal life spans, if they are diagnosed early and remain in care. Indeed, PrEP can reduce the risk of acquiring or transmitting HIV by more than 90% when taken consistently.
Although the Food and Drug Administration approved PrEP in 2012, Black Americans are less likely than whites to be prescribed PrEP, even when they meet clinical guidelines. They accounted for just 15% of PrEP users in 2024, according to AIDSVu, the interactive online mapping tool jointly created by Emory University and Gilead Sciences, Inc.
Cost, lack of health insurance, and limited access to culturally competent medical care providers all play a role in blocking access. In many rural or Southern communities — particularly those with significant Black populations — there may be no nearby providers who regularly prescribe PrEP at all.
“These challenges are not parallel, they are cumulative,” Carl Baloney Jr., president and CEO of AIDS United, said in an interview with AIDSVu. “I’ve seen people who are ready to start treatment or PrEP but cannot keep appointments because they are unhoused, working multiple jobs, or navigating systems that do not respect their dignity.”
Stigma and History
Shame about an HIVpositive diagnosis, often intertwined with homophobia, transphobia, and misconceptions about transmission, remains a barrier to treatment. Those feelings, coupled with a lack of support, discourages people from getting tested or staying in care.
“Despite decades of progress, HIV continues to disproportionately impact the Black community,” says Randevyn Piérre, head of US External Affairs for ViiV Healthcare. His organization, he says, is “working to change this reality not only through our innovative long-acting medicines that have transformed HIV care, but also through deep partnership with communities.”
Events tied to Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day often aim to confront that legacy head-on.
Faith leaders, barbershops, community colleges, and historically Black fraternities and sororities increasingly host testing drives and educational forums. Health organizations like Equitas sponsor events and use social media to share personal stories, promote home testing kits, and explain prevention options in plain language.
“By strengthening local networks, improving connections to care, and delivering culturally resonant programming, we confront stigma and misinformation head-on,” says Pierre. “We are committed to acting with urgency to ensure that everyone impacted by HIV has access to the care and resources they need. This is the only way we can achieve our goal of ending the HIV epidemic for all.”
Southern Crisis, National Implications
In 2023, Southern states had the highest rate of people living with HIV/AIDS and Black communities there are disproportionately affected. The region accounted for 51% of all new HIV diagnoses and is home to eight of the nine states with the highest number of new diagnoses.
Many of these states have not expanded Medicaid, leaving thousands of low-income adults — including people living with HIV — without consistent health coverage.
Public health experts say fallout from the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” would hit hardest in Black communities, which are disproportionately affected by HIV and whose residents are more likely to rely on Medicaid for coverage. Advocates warn the nearly $1 trillion in cuts could disrupt treatment continuity and slow prevention efforts — outcomes that threaten recent progress in reducing HIV/AIDS transmission and among Black Americans.
On February 7, clinics, community groups, and advocates will continue their efforts to help people get tested, learn their status, and talk openly about HIV. Their goal is to make sure awareness leads to action that makes a difference long after the day has passed.
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