As Black History Month continues—and with National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day coming on February 7—new data underscores an urgent public health crisis impacting Black communities across the United States. According to the CDC, more than 39,000 people were diagnosed with HIV in 2023. Black Americans accounted for 14,754 of those cases—about 38 percent—and experienced the highest infection rate of any community, at 41.9 per 100,000 people.
More than 66 percent of all HIV diagnoses were linked to male-to-male sexual contact. Among those cases, Black men represented nearly half of the diagnoses among males ages 13 to 24. Black women were also disproportionately affected, accounting for 50 percent of HIV diagnoses among women, despite making up just 13 percent of the female population. Their diagnosis rate was three times higher than that of Hispanic or Latino women and eleven times higher than that of white women.
Advocates say these numbers reflect systemic failures as well as resilience. However, support remains available through organizations including Black AIDS Institute, Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition, Black Women’s Health Imperative, and The Well Project, among others. These and more such organizations are working to close gaps and save lives.
