Thursday, February 7, marks National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day 2019 (NBHAAD). This year’s theme is “Together for Love: Stop HIV Stigma.”

Launched in 1999 as a grassroots initiative, this year NBHAAD is celebrating 20 years of awareness and promotional efforts.

Last year, African Americans accounted for 13 percent of the U.S. population but 43 percent (16,694) of the 38,739 new HIV diagnoses in the country, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). What’s more, 73 percent of those cases were among men, and 26 percent were among women. Among the Black men who have sex with men and who contracted HIV last year, 41 percent (4,088) were ages 25 to 34.

To help promote NBHAAD, the CDC offers a selection of downloadable graphics you can share on social media, along with hashtags, GIFs and messages, like those appearing on this page. Sample messages include:

  • From 2010 to 2016, HIV diagnoses decreased 12% among African Americans overall. Imagine what additional progress we could make in decreasing HIV diagnoses if we joined together to stop HIV stigma! www.cdc.gov/together #NBHAAD

  • When people feel love and unconditional support, they may be more likely to get tested for #HIV, seek care, and stay in treatment. That’s why we’re joining “Together for Love” this #NBHAAD. www.cdc.gov/together

  • When we join “Together for Love,” we stop HIV stigma and empower our community to seek treatment. We make our churches, schools, and households healthier and more supportive spaces. That’s how we make change. Learn what you can do to help stop HIV stigma. #NBHAAD www.cdc.gov/together

The NBHAAD theme complements the messages of two CDC awareness campaigns, “Act Against AIDS” and “Let’s Stop HIV Together.” You might recognize two of the models in the CDC campaign as recent POZ cover boys David Massey and Johnny Lester, of Atlanta. Their January POZ feature story is “Keep It Together.”