1990-1991
1990
The disproportionate impact of HIV/AIDS among minorities and
women is increasingly linked to overall social inequities. Though research on
the epidemic in these communities remains at a standstill, NMAC continues with
its important work.
The CDC moves away from the medical model of HIV counseling
which focuses on the disease, to the HIV prevention counseling model, which
addresses the needs of the client.
ACT UP organizes Storm the NIH to demand more HIV treatments
and the expansion of clinical trials to include more people of color and women.
NMAC continues its training program with a grant
from Apple to provide computers to minority community-based organizations
(CBOs), enabling them to produce their own newsletters, publications and
financial reports. NMAC not only facilitated the distribution of the computer
equipment; but also trained the recipients on how to use the computers, as well
as provided technical assistance manuals and introductory books on volunteer
management and computer technology. [This program today is known as the Equal
Access Initiative Computer Grants Program and is funded by the Office of AIDS Research, National Institutes of
Health (OAR, NIH).]
NMAC sponsores the Second International
Conference of AIDS-Related Community and Non-Governmental Organizations,
September 24-27, in Paris, France. Though logistically
difficult, the meeting offered a vital alternative to the 1990 International
AIDS Conference, in San Francisco,
which many HIV/AIDS leaders boycotted. (Over half of all abstracts submitted
were rejected and many people who needed to be at the meeting could not attend
due to the United States'
ban on HIV+ immigrants and visitors.)
Information shared during the meeting made it clear that the
epidemic was far from over and, with that in mind, Executive Director Paul Kawata makes the decision to seek a more
permanent headquarters for NMAC. Rather than purchase office space downtown,
the agency opted to rehabilitate a building in Washington, DC's
historic U Street
corridor. The building had been burned out during the riots following the
assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.; recreating the structure takes
nearly four years to complete.
NMAC produces a number of newsletters in the early
1990s, including NMAC Update, detailing the Council's activities; and the NMAC
Treatment Alert, concering the agency's programs. The also agency hires its first national policy director and
conducts three regional trainings.
President Ronald Regan apologizes for his neglect around
AIDS at the start of the epidemic.
18,447 people die of AIDS in 1990, including fashion designer
Halston; artist Keith Haring; and Cree actor and dancer Rene Highway. 1990 also marks the passing of Ryan White from
complications related to AIDS.
1991
AIDS honors its tenth anniversary.
DDL (didanosine), a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor is
the second drug approved by the FDA for the treatment of AIDS.
Ryan White CARE Act funds are distributed for the first
time.
Protestant Evangelical Christian groups remain one of the
few religious entities with HIV/AIDS-related initiatives. Much of this
stems from these groups' belief that AIDS transmission is related to sin. As
Jerry Falwell, televangelist and leader of the political action group, The
Moral Majority, explains, "AIDS is not just God's punishment for homosexuals,
it is God's punishment for the society that tolerates homosexuals."
250,000 cases of HIV are reported in the United States
and an estimated 1.5 million Americans live with HIV. More than 10 million
cases are reported worldwide. The World Health Organization projects that 40 million
people will die of AIDS by 2000.
NMAC, in cooperation with NAPWA and the National AIDS
Interfaith Network, holds the
first annual National Skills Building Conference,
which would later become the
United States Conference on AIDS. The meeting
brought together 600 people to discuss programmatic- and board-related skills;
HIV/AIDS in minority-specific communities; and people living with
HIV/AIDS. The conference received
support from the CDC, HRSA and a variety of private companies, including AETNA, ATT and Apple.
Basketball player, Earvin "Magic" Johnson,
announces he has HIV and becomes an outspoken advocate and inspiration for
those living with HIV/AIDS.
The International AIDS Conference, held in Florence, Italy,
focuses on the state of AIDS research.
From 1990-1991, 68,942 people die of AIDS and another
110,119 are diagnosed with the disease. Famous people who died during this time
include singer Freddy Mercury (left), whose death and memorial concert raised AIDS awareness; writer Isaac Asimov; and AIDS activist, Kim
Bergalis. Bergalis contracted AIDS from her dentist, Dr. David J. Acer, who
died in 1990; she campaigned for mandatory HIV testing of all health care
workers until her death, at age 23.