Delegates to the annual meeting of the Progressive National Baptist Convention called on their churches to increase ministries to those suffering with AIDS and declared a “state of emergency” concerning the deaths of young African-Americans.
“We lifted up the AIDS crisis, encouraging our churches to certainly become sensitive and involved and hopefully develop programs within the local congregations that will be meaningful to those who are suffering because many of our members are victims,” said C. Mackey Daniels, president of the denomination.
He told Religious News Service that some churches within the 2.5 million member denomination already have developed AIDS ministries, but “we must do more.”
The meeting of about 10,000 registered participants ended Aug. 11 in Louisville, Ky.
“If you quantify the death and dying of African-Americans from whatever causes for just one day… the statistics would be very grim,” Daniels said. “We need to call upon Congress as well as the president and the two candidates to get a full investigation into the cause of massive death and dying of African-American youth.”
Daniels said his denomination also spoke out about the imprisonment of African-American males, many of whom are jailed “because of the hue of their skin.”
“We cannot just continue to see the enormous number of our African-American males incarcerated, ” said Daniels. “That in itself is a form of genocide.” (RNS)
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