Virgin Islands Rep. to speak in South Carolina

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Congresswoman Donna Christian-Christensen, the delegate of the U.S. Virgin Islands to the U.S. House, will make an appearance in Myrtle Beach, S.C., just days before the scheduled Democratic primary in that state.

Christian-Christiansen, a member of the Health Brain-trust of the Congressional Black Caucus, will speak at the Rally to End AIDS, organized by the S.C. Campaign to End AIDS and its members across the state and Southeast.

The Rally will be held at 5 p.m., Jan. 21 outside the Palace Theatre, where the Congressional Black Caucus Institute’s Democratic Primary Debate is scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. that same day.

“We are pleased to have someone as knowledgeable as Congresswoman Christian-Christensen to address our rally,” said Karen Bates, an openly-HIV positive member of the S.C. Campaign to End AIDS. “As people around the country pause today to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, we believe it important to also recognize the toll HIV/AIDS is taking among the African-American community. HIV/AIDS is currently the leading cause of death among young African-American women. This is more than just a number to us; our organization lost one of it’s co-founders, Ms. Stephanie Williams, to the disease just three short months ago.”

Many of the participants of Monday’s Rally will have traveled from more than a dozen states via caravan. Campaign to End AIDS members from Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and New York, as well as the District of Columbia, have traveled to South Carolina to join their South Carolina members in demanding action from their leaders to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic nationally and globally.

“During the period that South Carolina is the focus of the ‘08 presidential campaign, we want the Democratic candidates to speak out and recommit to taking the steps necessary to end the AIDS epidemic right here in our state, across the U.S., and around the world,” says Duke, another S.C. Campaign to End AIDS member.

“South Carolinians suffer disproportionately from HIV/AIDS, and the state has one of the highest death rates from AIDS in the nation,” says SC-C2EA member Arlene Rustin. “As recently as last May, the state had over 500 residents on a waiting list for AIDS medication.” In response, SC-C2EA members led a successful effort to persuade the South Carolina Legislature to contribute millions of dollars to help poor South Carolinians living with HIV/AIDS get access to treatment. C2EA has also helped to develop leadership among people living with HIV/AIDS to speak on issues that connect us locally, regionally and nationally on important HIV/AIDS issues.

The Rally will include a breakfast and gathering for the caravan riders; basic training on talking to candidates, media and the public; and opportunities to join other debate-related activities.

More information can be found here.

Technorati Tags: Virgin Islands, Donna Christian-Christensen, HIV, AIDS, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Democratic Primary, Congressional Black Caucus, Rally to End AIDS, Campaign to End AIDS, election, 2008

Posted in Civil Rights, Democratic Party, Health, LGBT, Politics, South Carolina, United States |