(left to right)The Rev. William Barnwell, Deacon Jay Albert, Rev. Gregory Manning, Dr. Kevin Stephens, and the Rev. Dr. Dwight Webster.
Each year the number of new people infected with HIV can fill two-thirds of the New Orleans Superdome. That is 50,000 newly infected people each year. Baton Rouge is the number one city in the nation with new HIV cases. New Orleans is number three. Those are scary statistics that not many want to discuss because of the stigma, shame, and denial associated with the disease. Some of our faith leaders are working to break down these barriers to help stop the spread of the disease in our community.
Deacon Jay Albert of Trinity Episcopal Church, New Orleans, along with the Rev’d Gregory Manning of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, New Orleans, attended the Justice and Beyond Coalition Meeting on February 15 to lead a forum on why and how faith communities and other organizations should be on the forefront of the discussion on HIV-AIDS.
Talking about HIV-AIDS prevention can save a life. As stated in their presentation, “There is no reason why one new person should be infected with HIV. Get out of the silence. Get out in the open and talk about HIV.”
Deacon Jay Albert can be reached at albertjay@gmail.com or Rev. Gregory Manning at gmanning1973@yahoo.com. They are available to help your church talk about HIV-AIDS prevention.