National Minority AIDS Council Building Healthier Communities

Southern States Manifesto: Update 2008 — HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in the South

The March 2002 release of the original Southern States Manifesto (click here to view) described the disproportionate impact of the rapidly growing interrelated epidemics of HIV/AIDS and STDs on communities in the southern United States and the shared challenges those living in the South faced in working to address them.

These shared challenges led to the creation of the Southern AIDS Coalition (SAC), a unique partnership of state AIDS directors and staff, community advocates, national nonprofit entities, people living with HIV, and private industry, to better meet the needs of those at risk and those living with HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Despite progress, many challenges remain for us in the South as well as the United States as a whole. In response, the SAC has released the Update 2008 to describe what HIV looks like now in the South, six years after their first efforts brought many partners together in a dynamic way to achieve mutually desired public health outcomes through what has become a solid collaboration.