Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Even in 2026, AIDS remains an “epidemic” in the Black community. That’s according to State Sen. Mike Simmons (pictured) (D-Chicago) and others who held a news conference at the Capitol Tuesday to call for more equitable funding. They say AIDS affects Blacks disproportionately, but funding for programs is disproportionate the other way.
The overrepresentation of Blacks in the AIDS community, said Simmons, “has nothing to do with us or our DNA or our health makeup. It’s all about health care systems that prioritize profit over people. It’s all about cultural incompatibility in terms of who’s offering health care and the folks like us who feel comfortable seeking out the health care, let alone whether we have Medicaid or health insurance to be able to get us in the door.”
Simmons, the first openly LGBTQ senator in Illinois, is carrying a bill to try to resolve the funding disparities.
