Magic Johnson sponsors Point Forward Day
Foundation continues to bring HIV/AIDS awareness
The Magic Johnson Foundation (MJF) recently announced the launch of Point Forward Day, a national day of awareness and action to celebrate its 20 years of impact.
The Foundation’s 20th anniversary campaign (MJF:20) will kick off with a press conference featuring Earvin “Magic” Johnson at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Nov 7, exactly 20 years to the date that one of the world’s greatest basketball players announced his HIV status and subsequent retirement from the NBA.
Johnson pledged to transition his performance on the basketball court to philanthropy through the creation of the Magic Johnson Foundation and continues to have an significant record of service to urban communities.
For more than two decades, MJF has served and enriched urban communities nationwide through its three program pillars: HIV/AIDS testing and awareness, Community Empowerment Centers (CECs) and the Taylor Michaels Scholarship Program (TMSP).
“It is time for the Magic Johnson Foundation to communicate the impact we have had in urban communities across the United States. Point Forward Day is about getting involved and giving back like Magic has done. It is time for all of us to stop spectating and start doing. Through our continued work in educational empowerment, it is our hope to cyclically cultivate, inspire, and help to achieve self sufficiency in underserved communities,” said Amelia Williamson, interim president of the Magic Johnson Foundation.
One in five people living with HIV don’t know their status. On Point Forward Day, the Foundation asks Americans to join together and learn their status. In partnership with AIDS Healthcare Foundation, MJF will host free confidential testing events in cities across America. At select CEC locations, testing will include participation from government officials, dignitaries and athletes who will lead their communities by getting tested first at on-site mobile units.
Mobile testing units will be available in the following communities: Atlanta, Brooklyn, Bronx, Chicago, Dallas, D.C., East Harlem, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, North Miami, San Antonio, Hampton, Wilton Manors, and Marrero.
Nine of MJF’s 17 Community Empowerment Centers will also join in Point Forward Day celebrations by hosting community events. The Magic Johnson Foundation will make new commitments to empowering communities, including technology assistance to urban areas and focusing on issues like literacy and reading readiness going into its 20th anniversary year. The Foundation’s Taylor Michaels Scholarship recipients and alumni will coordinate the festivities on Point Forward Day. Host cities include: Oakland, Sacramento, Harlem, North Miami, Cleveland, Carson, Bladensburg, Eastover/Columbia, and Bennettsville.
Point Forward Day is made possible through the generosity of its title sponsor, Wells Fargo, which has been a longtime supporter of the Magic Johnson Foundation. Best Buy, Cisco, FedEx, Grockit, IBM, AEG, and Walgreens will be providing additional local and national support through technical assistance, employee engagement and in-kind contributions.
Celebrities and athletes are joining the campaign through a social media initiative aimed at raising awareness about HIV/AIDS. Dwyane Wade, Ludacris, Justin Bieber, Kobe Bryant, Adrian Peterson, Pau Gasol, Paula Abdul, Steve Nash, Monique Coleman, Faith Evans, Blair Underwood, and more are pledging their support through Facebook, Twitter and Tout and are encouraging fans to get tested on Point Forward Day.
To learn more about the Magic Johnson Foundation or for additional information on Point Forward Day, visit magicjohnson.com/pointforward. To donate and support the foundation’s efforts, text MAGIC to 80888 and reply with “YES” to finalize the donation.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Basketball legend Earvin "Magic" Johnson received the inaugural World AIDS Day Magic Award from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation Sunday at Staples Center, honoring his work raising awareness about HIV and AIDS prevention, care and treatment.
Johnson, who announced in 1991 that he tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS, is the founder and chairman of the nonprofit Magic Johnson Foundation, whose mission includes making donations to community-based organizations that focus on HIV/AIDS education and prevention.
The recent news in Tulsa, Oklahoma, brings to light an issue that is rare, but nonetheless important — cross infection in the dental office, or the transfer of infection from one patient to another in a health care environment.
The unfortunate reality is that you, as the consumer, have very little chance of knowing what’s going on — it’s a huge trust relationship. Cross contamination is literally invisible because it’s caused by microbes invisible to the human eye, so only the professionals can guarantee that it doesn’t happen.
Evidence is mounting that it is possible to control the virus that causes AIDS with early treatment, so further therapy is not immediately needed.
A recent study in the journal PLOS Pathogens reports that 14 patients with HIV, who received antiretroviral treatment within 10 weeks of infection, had their viral loads decreased so much that scientists say they are “functionally cured.”
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Free HIV testing will be offered and panel discussions will be held in Los Angeles County in connection with Saturday’s 25th observance of World AIDS Day, whose theme is “Working Together for an AIDS-Free Generation.”
Free HIV testing will be offered noon-6 p.m. at L.A. Live, 3-5 p.m. at the AIDS Monument in Lincoln Park in Lincoln Heights and 7-11 p.m. at the Sweet Dreams Dessert Lounge in Whittier.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A statue of former Los Angeles Lakers center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, will be unveiled today outside Staples Center.
Abdul-Jabbar’s teammates with the 1980s “Showtime” Lakers Earvin “Magic” Johnson and James Worthy; the team’s coach, Pat Riley; former Laker player, coach and general manager Jerry West; and team executive Jeanie Buss are scheduled to join Abdul-Jabbar in speaking at the ceremony, which is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. and is open to the public.
