BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Cycle for Freedom to host Fundraiser at the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts, Thursday, July 22, 2010 @ 7:00pm On program are poets, gospel artists, Gene Stovall, and the band Dream Job.

One man to bicycle the entire 2,028 mile Underground Railroad

to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in Black America

Pittsburgh, PA…. HIV/AIDS activist Khafre K. Abif will embark on Cycle for Freedom, a 2,028- mile bike trip from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada, starting September 27, 2010. His goal is to raise awareness about the seriousness of HIV/AIDS in black communities throughout the U.S. by retracing the path of those who fled slavery and those that provided shelter. Abif's ride is to honor the bravery of the thousands of Black Americans living with HIV. The bike tour route: http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/undergroundrailroad.cfm.

Abif, who has been living with HIV for over 20 years, left his former job as a librarian to become a public advocate in the fight against HIV/AIDS. For the Cycle for Freedom ride, Abif is partnering with Test One Million, a campaign to test one million black Americans for HIV/AIDS. The Test One Million campaign is a program of the Black AIDS Institute, an African American think tank seeking solutions regarding the HIV/AIDS scourge in African American communities.

Black Americans account for more HIV/AIDS cases, people estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS, and HIV-related deaths than any other racial/ethnic group in the U.S. Currently in the U.S. there are an estimated 250,000 people who are HIV positive and do not know it. States Abif: “The community needs to get this dialogue going. The ride is meant to get people to wake up to what is happening!”

Partnering with HIV/AIDS service organizations in Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Canada, Cycle for Freedom will promote and cause occasions for testing in black communities along the route throughout the 70-day ride. In addition to Test One Million, project supporters include Adventure Cycling, OneChurch/OneLife, and New Voices Pittsburgh, the latter are providers of HIV/AIDS testing, education, prevention and counseling.

Information about how to donate or become a program sponsor is posted at www.cycleforfreedom.org.