Gospel song gives voice to AIDS awareness

The notion of speaking about HIV and AIDS from the pulpit was unthinkable to the Rev. James Favorite.

"Not even a consideration," says Favorite, senior pastor of Beulah Baptist Institutional Church in Tampa. Sexual practices and sexual health were taboo topics in religious circles.

But that was a while ago. Ten years. Now statistics tell a frightening story. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirms that blacks are "more heavily and disproportionately" affected by HIV than any other racial and ethnic group in the United States. The latest figures show the rate of new infection among non-Hispanic blacks is seven times higher than whites.

For black women, the numbers are even more sobering. AIDS is the leading cause of death for black women between the ages of 25 and 34. Ignoring what has erupted into an epidemic is no longer possible for the black minister, who is now the chair of the Tampa Bay affiliate of the National Black Leadership Commission on AIDS. The nonprofit group's mission is to educate, mobilize and empower black leaders to meet the challenge of fighting the disease and other health disparities in local communities.

For Favorite, AIDS got more personal several years ago, when a church member came to him about her son who had the disease. The young man was worried about dying and going to hell. Favorite counseled the mother and son about salvation and God's grace in the face of insurmountable odds.

That experience was his turning point in how he viewed AIDS. His faith tells him to care for the sick and oppressed, and to let them know that by accepting Christ they will have eternal life. But in practical terms, he also knows that offering compassionate counsel could no longer be his only role.

"Before we can save the soul, we have to save the life," Favorite says. "That means education. That means prevention. That has to be our first priority."

His group now trains local pastors about HIV and AIDS to help them speak with knowledge about a topic that was once taboo in religious circles. Ministering with love – and facts – is the right approach, he says. Condemnation is not, given the sheer numbers of people living with HIV and AIDS.

So far, about 35 clergy have taken the training, which includes three classes. Another one is scheduled for July. To register, call (813) 251-5591.

"Dollars are drying up for the drugs to treat it and the programs to teach about it," he says. "But we have an excellent opportunity to use our pulpit and our voice to play a role in slowing this epidemic down."

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Songwriter-composer Carlton Burgess found another way to use his voice in AIDS awareness.

The Tampa native, founder of the Burgess School of the Arts in Ybor City, just released his latest original song, "Love Never Gives Up." Burgess enlisted three friends – Monica Smith Spivey, Dana Mackey and Joseph Holland – to join him on the inspirational, pop-influenced gospel recording.

Sales of the $5 CD will go to benefit charities worldwide that focus on HIV and AIDS. Locally, Burgess selected Francis House, a nonprofit day respite center for people living the disease and their families. It provides free services that address the spiritual, emotional and physical aspects of the disease.

Like Favorite, Burgess felt compelled to do something that would bring attention to the ravages of HIV and AIDS, particularly in the black community. Since music is both his passion and profession, he expressed his feelings in a song.

"When I wrote the lyrics, I got very emotional, very tearful, remembering all the great people with so much talent who have lost their lives to this," he says. "For those who are still living with it, we have to love them unconditionally. We can't be judgmental; we can't throw away people in our society who are dealing with it."

The song also carries a message important to Burgess: God never gives up, either. Anyone living with HIV/AIDS needs to know that God hasn't abandoned them, he says.

The artists – who perform under the name "Carlton Burgess & Friends" – are making a whirlwind mini-concert tour this weekend in three states to debut the song and raise funds. They return to Tampa on Monday to sing at an free HIV testing event that will include refreshments, education and entertainment.

After graduating from University of South Florida in 1985, Burgess left Tampa for several years to pursue his musical aspirations. Besides his own recordings, he has been part of dozens of songwriting projects and led workshops on performance and management. He's toured internationally, worked on an NFL-sanctioned Super Bowl Choir and set up a music school in South Africa.

All those achievements are worth noting. But this song – and the charities it will benefit – always will hold a special place in his heart.

"When you get a little older, a little wiser, you say, 'Let me use my music for a greater purpose, let me use it for more than material gain.' " Burgess says. "I feel grateful I can do that now. I can use it as a tool to get a good, positive message out to the people."

TBO.com, search: AIDS SONG, to see a WFLA-TV report with the performers, hear the new song and learn about the Black Leadership Commission's work.

NATIONAL HIV TESTING DAY EVENT

When: 5:30-9 p.m. Monday

Where: University Area Community Complex, 14013 N. 22nd St., Tampa (between Fletcher and Bearss)

Includes: Free HIV Rapid Testing (anonymous 20-minute test), educational exhibits on HIV/AIDS, refreshments and entertainment, including a performance of "Love Never Gives Up"

Information: (813) 391-6776 or go to www.lovenevergivesup.com