For Immediate Release

February 8, 2023

Atlanta, GA–On National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (Feb. 7), Black HIV Prevention advocates released “For Us By Us: PrEP In Black America: A Master Plan for HIV Prevention In Black America”, a roadmap to drastically scale-up use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)  in the Black community. PrEP is a biomedical tool used to reduce the risk of acquiring HIV by over 99%. The report, which covers findings from the PrEP In Black America Summit held in Atlanta, GA on September 13, 2022, was compiled by researchers in the iSTRIVE Lab, with evaluation data compiled by Muse Research, LLC.

The report highlights gross racial inequities in PrEP utilization, while also giving key recommendations to increase awareness and address systemic barriers caused by sociostructural and political forces including racism, homophobia/transphobia, and patriarchy.

“This report and the PIBA effort represent a much needed shift in leadership of systems that do not effectively serve Black people; a shift that is long overdue if we will ever see the end of HIV,” states Danielle Campbell, summit organizer and HIV prevention researcher.

Key recommendations from the report include:

1) Energize the Black public health force to lead the HIV prevention response,

2) Educate Black masses on the science and effectiveness of PrEP,

3) Support a federally-funded National PrEP Program.

“PrEP is a highly effective HIV prevention tool with life-saving benefits. However, we do a disservice and will continue to fail PrEP rollout if members of the Black community do not know this product exists or do not have equitable access to it,” states John Meade, summit organizer and Senior Program Manager of Policy at AVAC. “We must demand political will, funding, and rights-based public health approaches to ensure affordable and unfettered access to PrEP for our community.”

The report debuted during PrEP In Black America’s National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Webinar, entitled “The Power Of PrEP: Pleasure and Prevention In The Black Community,” and was available for download immediately afterwards. The webinar also announced that the second PrEP In Black America Summit will be hosted in New Orleans, LA on May 19, 2023. Registration information will be announced in coming weeks at prep4all.org/prepinblackamerica.

The PrEP In Black America Summit is a collaborative effort by Black HIV prevention advocates representing AVAC, Treatment Action Group, PrEP4All, Atlanta Black Women Leaders on PrEP, Black Public Health Academy, iStrive Lab, Georgia Southern University, Equity & Impact Solutions, and Positive Impact Health Centers, with financial support from Red Hot Organization.