rudolph h. carn - blazing a trail for progress and prevention
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photo by steed media service
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CEO and Founder, National AIDS & Education Services for Minorities
Trailblazer is a word that typically describes someone who has demonstrated courage and vision in the name of a cause or movement. The word may also be used to describe Rudolph H. Carn, CEO and founder of National AIDS & Education Services for Minorities (NAESM). The group organizes the National African American Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) Leadership Conference where Carn serves as executive director.
“I was inspired by the fact that there are a lot of AIDS organizations in our country, but there were none specifically for African American, gay men” divulges Carn. “It was then that my partners and I started the organization and the conference.”
The goal of the conference is to discuss the impact that HIV/AIDS has on the MSM community and to develop ways to empower the community. The conference, which was held in Oakland, Calif., is in its fourth year and this year’s theme was “Breaking Down Barriers and Moving Forward.”
While Carn enjoys the success of the conference, he hasn’t lost sight of the issues. He believes that the top three issues that continue to trouble the MSM community are homophobia, economics and education.
“Homophobia is an issue because we live in a very homophobic society. If people would become more comfortable with who they are, they would be less vulnerable and less inclined to put themselves at risk,” Carn says, adding that he will get to do some home cooking, as next year’s conference will be held in Atlanta, the home of NAESM
-delgie jones II
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