Rev. William G. Sinkford at a previous World AIDS Day event, asking government to "cut the red tape" and fund HIV/AIDS prevention and education.
UUA President to Participate in World AIDS Day Interfaith Service
December 1, 2008
On the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, a group of faith and civil society leaders are joining together to call for stronger prevention measures in the United States and around the world.
Rev. William G. Sinkford, Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) President, will join with Rev. Dr. Bernice Powell Jackson, North American President of the World Council of Churches, Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, and representatives the United Church of Christ, the United Methodist Church, and other faith and civic organizations, in calling on the U.S. government to address the prevention needs of marginalized communities and chart the course for a sustainable and cost-effective response to the global AIDS pandemic.
With new HIV infections outpacing the number of people newly put on treatment worldwide, these faith and civil society leaders will gather tonight at Foundry United Methodist Church in Washington, DC, for a worship service and candlelight vigil to highlight the need for a global commitment to effective prevention, treatment and care.
Rev. Sinkford, who has committed himself to public witness around the need for greater US involvement in AIDS research and prevention on World AIDS Day, also participated in a media briefing on November 25. Participants in the media briefing said that they were hopeful that U.S. leadership will promote human rights and equality in U.S. HIV prevention efforts, including the design of policies and programs based on evidence rather than ideology.
Sinkford said, "It's clear that the approach to HIV/AIDS needs to be country- and community-specific. We have to address the full social and economic contexts in which real people live or the pandemic will continue to spread.”
Last updated on Monday, December 1, 2008.
