Earvin "Magic" Johnson coming to San Antonio to promote HIV/AIDS awareness
Former basketball star and entrepreneur Earvin "Magic" Johnson will come to San Antonio in early March to help promote HIV and AIDS awareness to youth.
Johnson, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and a person living with HIV/AIDS, will be the guest speaker at a youth rally from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m, March 5, at St. Philip's College.
The youth rally is a free event and open to the public, said Taj Matthews of the Claude and ZerNona Black Foundation during a Wednesday news conference. There will also be free counseling made available to anybody at the rally, regardless of testing status. Update, 1:56 p.m., Feb. 25: It's been brought to my attention by SAAF's Jill Rips that I failed to mention there will be free HIV/AIDS testing at the youth rally. Test results will be known in 20 minutes. Those who wish to be tested can provide their own consent. I apologize for overlooking that important point and thank Jill for pointing it out.
Jill Rips, the deputy executive director of the San Antonio AIDS Foundation, said the youth rally is part of an ongoing effort to reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS within the community at-large, and especially within San Antonio's black community. Rips said about 5,000 people in San Antonio are living with the HIV/AIDS virus and about 20 percent of those do not know they are infected. An estimated 50 percent of new infections annually are spread by those who are unaware of their infection, she said.
The foundation, established by Matthews in the name of his grandparents with a focus on San Antonio's East Side, is partnering with the San Antonio AIDS Foundation and the University Health System to host both the youth rally and an honorary dinner later that evening.
The 2nd Annual Claude Black Heroes Dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Joe and Harry Freeman Coliseum. Tickets are $75 for individuals and $750 for a table. Proceeds from the event, where Johnson will also speak, will go to the Claude and ZerNona Black Foundation. People wishing to purchase tickets can contact the San Antonio AIDS Foundation at 210-225-4715.
