PBS streaming full episode of “ENDGAME: AIDS in Black America”

Magic Johnson getting his blood drawn by Dr. David Ho, an H.I.V./AIDS specialist, in the PBS-documentary “Frontline”, now airing on PBS.org. (Photo/New York Times)

PBS aired Frontline’s Endgame: AIDS in Black America” on July 10 (it’s now streaming on the site), which explores the many reasons why HIV and AIDS cases are so prevalent among the black community. In a review of the show, New York Times reporter Neil Genzlinger asks a perfectly appropriate question: “With so much known about the disease and so many years of safe-sex messages out there, how can anyone still be cavalier or uninformed about this subject?”

The documentary affirms that 30 years into the AIDS/HIV epidemic, African Americans make up half of the newly diagnosed cases in the United States, according to Frontline’s website. Blacks are only 13.6 percent of the U.S. population but account for 52% of all new HIV/AIDS cases. It is the leading cause of death among African-American women ages 25 to 34 and African-American men ages 35 to 44. The program also states that the fastest growing segment with HIV is ages 16-24 and it is highest among young black men in the 18-29-year old bracket.

I live in Houston, Texas, and through AIDS Foundation Houston and the local chapter of Hip-Hop For HIV –a national event to encourage young people to protect themselves sexually, I found some alarming statistics about my hometown:

• Houston ranks 8th nationally in the number of total reported AIDS case

• 27,650 individuals are known living with HIV/AIDS in Houston/Harris County

• 76% of all reported STD rates in Houston/Harris County were among 15-24 year olds

• 1 person in Houston is infected with HIV every 7 hours

• 6 out of every 10 diagnosed HIV infections in Houston/Harris County are African American.

CDC estimates that over a million Americans are currently living with HIV, and an estimated 25% of Americans living with HIV/AIDS are unaware of their HIV infection status.

This is tragic. While watching “AIDS in Black America” there are several individual cases made by women who contracted the illness from partners who were seemingly “upstanding and trustworthy”. But the problem like Genzlinger noted: All the males’ faces that were shown in photographs, were blurred out. Former NBA player Magic Johnson tells his side in the story of how he contracted HIV in 1991 but the why and how behind some of the other males isn’t really revealed. Though one can surmise it to be embarrassment.

In one of the cases, a wife discovered that her husband had known he was infected for over a year, and never told her–until she confronted him after finding his HIV positive letter in his bible in their bedroom. “AIDS in Black America” is an in depth visual with plenty of expert opinion and answers to questions we continue to ask. A must-watch.

Frontline

Endgame: AIDS in Black America

On PBS.org Produced by Renata Simone Productions for WGBH/Frontline in association with the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC). Written and directed by Renata Simone; producer Renata Simone. For Frontline: David Fanning, executive producer.

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