Cookie Joins HIV/AIDS Fight

Los Angeles Lakers basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson’s wife, Cookie, has joined in his effort to cut rising HIV rates among Black Americans. Cookie Johnson, who stood by his side when he called a news conference 16 years ago to announce he had been infected with HIV, has taken an active role in her husband’s “I Stand With Magic” campaign, a five-year, $60 million effort financed by the drug firm Abbott. Their goal is to cut AIDS rates among Black Americans by 50%.

For a woman who has long avoided the spotlight, this marks a major turning point. Mrs. Johnson said that she does not like getting out in front of people, but when she heard that HIV rates among Black women were 20 times those of White women she felt she really needed to get out and speak. As a woman who lives with someone who has the disease, maybe someone will listen to what she has to say or use her as an example. Maybe that will save some lives.

AIDS remains the leading cause of death of Blacks ages 25 to 44, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Blacks make up only 13% of the U.S. population, but account for 49% of all cases of HIV. Black women account for 64% of all women with HIV. The effect of the disease is most evident in Washington, D.C, where about one of every 50 people has HIV. And although Blacks account for 57% of the city’s population, they account for 81% of new HIV cases. More than 37% of the cases were spread through heterosexual sex.

In the past year Magic has traveled to 16 cities around the country with large Black populations. “The number one thing we have to do is change the mind-set and attitude in Black America,” said Magic. “I Stand With Magic” is part on a national Black mobilization by leaders who have made a commitment to end the epidemic in Black America in five years. The NAACP, Urban League, Southern Christian Leadership Conference and RainbowPUSH Coalition have been joined by Black mayors, legislators and entertainers such as LL Cool J, Common and Queen Latifah.

Cookie wants to awaken women to the realities of living in communities where a virus is being spread stealthily by people who may not know they’re infected. The way to fight back, she says, is to get an HIV test. Early detection saves lives. Her time as a wife of a celebrity dealing with HIV gives her an opportunity to reach millions of women with a message they don’t often hear: “You can live with someone who has HIV/AIDS and have a normal life.” She says her husband is healthy. He takes his medication every day. They eat healthy and exercise. They have a normal relationship. They keep their date night every Friday night.

Let’s get the word out people. Protect yourself, get tested, Please.