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CNN Live Saturday

Interview With LaMont Evans

Aired February 08, 2004 - 18:45   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL LIN, CN ANCHOR: LaMont Evans is founder of the National Black HIV AIDS Awareness and Information Days, as well as Executive Director of Concerned Black Men of Philadelphia. He joins us now from Washington.
LaMont, thank you very much for being here.

LAMONT EVANS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CONCERNED BLACK MEN OF PHILADELPHIA: Thank you, Carol, for having me.

LIN: If you take a look at the statistics, anywhere from a third to a half of new diagnosed cases under the age of 45 are African- American, versus when you look at statistics, say, for Hispanics and Caucasians, only nine percent.

Why is this such a plague now in the African-American community?

EVANS: I think stigma and discrimination still invades the African-American community.

One of the challenges is, when CDC released the epidemic 20 plus years ago as a gay white disease, the African-American community was able to distance themselves. But now, 20 years later, we are facing the results of distancing ourselves 20 plus years ago.

LIN: But, LaMont, why is it so difficult to understand, after 20 plus years, if you have sex, wear a condom - no unprotected sex.

EVANS: I think the challenge is that sex is still one of the topics that we're not comfortable with discussing out in the open in our community.

It's one of the things that is going on rapidly in the African- American community, and nobody wants to talk about it.

LIN: So, what kind of dialogue needs to happen? Literally, what needs to be said?

EVANS: Well, we need to look at the core of the African-American community, which is the black churches, as well as the historically black colleges and universities, as well as town hall meetings. We need community-based organizations and some of our educational institutions ...

LIN: But what needs to be said?

EVANS: ... to challenge ... LIN: What needs to be said to men and women?

EVANS: Protect yourself. Get educated about HIV, and know the transmission modes.

LIN: Is it not only - when you talk about transition modes, I mean, part of the - part of the problem, what we have been researching here at CNN, in different segments we're doing throughout the day, is dealing with this concept of what is gay? What is considered gay behavior?

And that is a dialogue that's going on in the black community, that there are black men who are having - they consider themselves heterosexual. They do not consider themselves gay.

And yet they've had a variety of sexual experiences that they don't relate to the message about AIDS, that is mostly directed at gay men.

EVANS: Yes. I think the way it's being shaped is in a way that mainstream America, when you look at gay, is receiving it.

When you talk from a cultural perspective about men having sex with men, but the specific message mode that has to be transmitted for them to understand it.

LIN: All right. So what's the solution there then?

EVANS: I think the solution is capturing the message for black men who are sexually active, be it with women or men that are sexually active.

LIN: All right. And is that tough to do? I mean, have you had this dialogue with other men before?

EVANS: Well, it's a tough dialogue to have when you have the black church and you have other historical black institutions that are pressuring to have the conversation in quiet or in secret on safe ground.

When you deal with HIV and AIDS in the black community, it's not a safe ground conversation. This is a disease that is preventable.

LIN: All right. LaMont Evans, thank you very much. Hopefully your work is going to be - is going to translate to a lot of people learning to stay healthy.

EVANS: Thank you very much.

LIN: LaMont Evans.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired February 8, 2004 - 18:45   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CN ANCHOR: LaMont Evans is founder of the National Black HIV AIDS Awareness and Information Days, as well as Executive Director of Concerned Black Men of Philadelphia. He joins us now from Washington.
LaMont, thank you very much for being here.

LAMONT EVANS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CONCERNED BLACK MEN OF PHILADELPHIA: Thank you, Carol, for having me.

LIN: If you take a look at the statistics, anywhere from a third to a half of new diagnosed cases under the age of 45 are African- American, versus when you look at statistics, say, for Hispanics and Caucasians, only nine percent.

Why is this such a plague now in the African-American community?

EVANS: I think stigma and discrimination still invades the African-American community.

One of the challenges is, when CDC released the epidemic 20 plus years ago as a gay white disease, the African-American community was able to distance themselves. But now, 20 years later, we are facing the results of distancing ourselves 20 plus years ago.

LIN: But, LaMont, why is it so difficult to understand, after 20 plus years, if you have sex, wear a condom - no unprotected sex.

EVANS: I think the challenge is that sex is still one of the topics that we're not comfortable with discussing out in the open in our community.

It's one of the things that is going on rapidly in the African- American community, and nobody wants to talk about it.

LIN: So, what kind of dialogue needs to happen? Literally, what needs to be said?

EVANS: Well, we need to look at the core of the African-American community, which is the black churches, as well as the historically black colleges and universities, as well as town hall meetings. We need community-based organizations and some of our educational institutions ...

LIN: But what needs to be said?

EVANS: ... to challenge ... LIN: What needs to be said to men and women?

EVANS: Protect yourself. Get educated about HIV, and know the transmission modes.

LIN: Is it not only - when you talk about transition modes, I mean, part of the - part of the problem, what we have been researching here at CNN, in different segments we're doing throughout the day, is dealing with this concept of what is gay? What is considered gay behavior?

And that is a dialogue that's going on in the black community, that there are black men who are having - they consider themselves heterosexual. They do not consider themselves gay.

And yet they've had a variety of sexual experiences that they don't relate to the message about AIDS, that is mostly directed at gay men.

EVANS: Yes. I think the way it's being shaped is in a way that mainstream America, when you look at gay, is receiving it.

When you talk from a cultural perspective about men having sex with men, but the specific message mode that has to be transmitted for them to understand it.

LIN: All right. So what's the solution there then?

EVANS: I think the solution is capturing the message for black men who are sexually active, be it with women or men that are sexually active.

LIN: All right. And is that tough to do? I mean, have you had this dialogue with other men before?

EVANS: Well, it's a tough dialogue to have when you have the black church and you have other historical black institutions that are pressuring to have the conversation in quiet or in secret on safe ground.

When you deal with HIV and AIDS in the black community, it's not a safe ground conversation. This is a disease that is preventable.

LIN: All right. LaMont Evans, thank you very much. Hopefully your work is going to be - is going to translate to a lot of people learning to stay healthy.

EVANS: Thank you very much.

LIN: LaMont Evans.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com