Grassroots Giver: Us Helping Us, People Into Living, Inc.
Black. Gay. Male. Ousted: An organization created to make a way out of no way
By Candace Y. A. Montague
Many AIDS non-profit organizations tend to focus on women and children. Who speaks for the black gay male who suffers not only from AIDS but also discrimination? Us Helping Us, People Into Living, Inc. was started in Washington, D.C. 21 years ago to advocate for black gay and bisexual men.
In 1985 Rainey Cheeks started an organization devoted to providing holistic health information to people living with HIV/AIDS. The former manager of the Clubhouse discotheque teamed up with Dr. Prem Deben to design a curriculum for a 12-week support group aimed at teaching HIV-infected men how to maintain their health using holistic techniques. The support group became incorpored in 1988. Now UHU is an organization housed in 6,100 square feet of space in Northwest D.C. The building, which is fully owned by UHU, has 19 offices, two conference rooms, and a finished basement level. UHU operates on a 1.7 million dollar budget with 15 full-time staff members and over 50 volunteers. Under the leadership of Dr. Ron Simmons, it continues to be a formidable opponent against AIDS in the black gay community.
“Black gay men were just tossed aside. Now we’ve built ourselves up to the place where we are now…that’s our biggest success,” says Dr. Simmons.
Obstacle #1: Internal Conflict
Black gay men have a conflict within their community: a lack of allegiance. The only thing that black gay men have in common is that they’re black and gay. Unfortunately that is where the common ground ends.
“Black gay men have to develop a sense of community,” states Dr. Simmons who has headed the organization since 1992.
Allegiance is important because when that sense of community is felt strongly, it will bring forth an instinct to protect it. The prevalence of HIV among black gay men is higher than any other subgroup. Why is the prevalence high? According to Dr. Simmons “when the prevalence is higher among the sexual networks of black gay men and black gay men tend to have sex with other black gay men, the times you do slip up you have a much greater chance of being infected. It’s like playing Russian Roulette with three bullets instead of one.”
This directly relates to developing a sense of community because when black gay men are encouraged to use condoms they are protecting more than just themselves.
“You’re not only doing this to protect yourselves. You’re doing it to protect your sexual network. We’re in this together,” adds Dr. Simmons.
Another internal conflict is the battle with self-concept. Many black gay men have been made to feel ashamed and worthless for a large portion of their lives. When this type of mental depression is instilled, it takes a toll on a man’s self-concept. Engaging in risky behaviors is one sign that a person’s self-concept has been damaged. It is clear that many black, gay men are knowledgeable about the dangers of AIDS. The conflict comes in when trying to convince them to let go of their painful past and save themselves from a self-destructive lifestyle. “Black gay men know how to save their lives from HIV but we’re not sure if they think their lives are worth saving. It’s about self-concept.”
In order to combat these battles, UHU provides support groups for specific groups and individual counseling. The support groups are for specific subgroups of HIV positive men and mature gay men 40 years and over. They offer case management, mental health services and even massages to help deal with stress.
Obstacle #2: Persecution
In addition to fighting the storms within the gay community, black gay men have to battle media attacks and homophobia.
Dr. Simmons declares, “Homophobia is a real problem. The thing about DL [down low] men is overblown. You can’t have it both ways. You can’t laugh at the gay jokes and then wonder why your man didn’t tell you that sometimes he likes sleeping with other men.”
UHU conducted community forums in 2004 to reduce HIV-related stigma and homophobia in the Black community.
Recently, local media reports have recently broadcasted the high rates of HIV infection in Washington, DC. The statistics show that the rates of infection in DC are comparable with the infection rates of Uganda.
Dr. Simmons firmly disagrees, “Comparing DC to Africa is so racist. Uganda has 29 million black people. We have 500,000. Uganda has 940,000 AIDS cases. DC has 15,000. Where’s the comparison?”
UHU developed radio commercials in 2001 about HIV prevention targeting sexually active black gay men. These commercials, which have been featured on National Public Radio’s news program “All Things Considered,” help put the word out to the public that treatment and care are of the utmost importance. It also balances negative reports about HIV with messages of hope and progress.
What YOU Can Do About It
To help Us Helping Us, Dr. Simmons wants people to simply “get tested and get care.” Visit the www.uhupil.org for additional information on UHU.
Candace Y.A. Montague is an educator in Prince George’s County. She can be reached at writeoncm@gmail.com.
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