About BET: Rap-It-Up
Since 1998, Black Entertainment Television (BET) and the Kaiser Family Foundation have partnered on Rap It Up, a public information campaign addressing HIV/AIDS and related issues among African Americans. The campaign takes a cross-platform approach to distributing information, dispelling popular myths and misconceptions, reducing stigma and discrimination, and increasing HIV testing.
The Message
Rap-It-Up is about protecting yourself and those you care about, being informed, using protection, getting tested, and talking openly with your partner, friends and family.
The Need
African Americans have been disproportionately impacted by AIDS since the epidemic's beginning more than 25 years ago, and that disparity has deepened over time. Today, African Americans account for more than half of new HIV infections while representing just 12% of the U.S. population. An estimated half million African Americans are living with HIV/AIDS today, leading the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to call for a heightened response to AIDS in the black community in 2007.
Source: Fact Sheet: Black Americans and HIV/AIDS
