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Lafayette’s Office of Intercultural Development and Brothers of Lafayette will sponsor a symposium on AIDS from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, in the Marlo Room, Farinon College Center.
The symposium is free and all members of the community are cordially invited to attend. RSVP to the Brothers of Lafayette, (610) 330-5819, by Friday, April 6, so that adequate preparations can be made for the dinner.
The focus will be the AIDS epidemic and how it affects members of the black and Latino communities at disproportionate rates. The symposium will feature exhibits and informational sessions beginning at 4 p.m. A buffet dinner will be served at 5 p.m., followed by a panel discussion and question-and-answer session.
Panelists will include Anders Lezama of the AIDS Services Center, Bethlehem, Pa.; Susan Smith of Planned Parenthood, Bethlehem; and Rev. Philip Davis, associate pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church, Easton, Pa.
Also invited to participate is Debra Frasier-Howze, president and chief executive officer of the Black Leadership Commission on AIDS (BLCA), New York City, which she founded in 1987. BLCA has grown to become the oldest and largest Black HIV and AIDS non-profit organization of its kind in America.
“As America begins to awaken and acknowledge the serious stronghold AIDS has on its black and brown communities, we believe the time is now for us to take a proactive stance in addressing this deadly epidemic,” says a statement from the Brothers of Lafayette, an organization of black students promoting unity through campus and community activities. “Moreover, it is time for Americans to move from rhetoric to action. In other words, we must take what’s discussed in class rooms, homes, and churches and inject them into our communities in order to bring about awareness, cure, and prevention of AIDS/HIV.”