For the 40 million people currently infected with either HIV or the AIDS virus, Sociology professor Anthony Monteiro believes "there are no answers."
Monteiro spoke to a crowd of about 20 students at an AIDS forum on Wednesday evening held at DuBois College House.
Through historical background information, sociological theories and subjective interjections, Monteiro captured the attention of the audience with his controversial views on AIDS.
Although the breadth of his dialogue spanned across topics such as homosexuality and evolution, Monteiro focused the discussion on the presence of AIDS amongst African-American, Caribbean and African populations.
Monteiro cited the lack of government action and media attention as the prime contributors to the strong presence of AIDS in predominantly black communities.
According to Monteiro, since AIDS treatment is reserved "for people living in developed, capitalist countries or rich people living in third world or second world countries," members of the African diaspora cannot receive medical assistance with their limited financial resources.
And adding to the problem are the pharmaceutical companies, which, Monteiro said, claim that they cannot afford to provide drugs at lower prices "even though drug companies do this in India."
"The fight against HIV/AIDS is a fight against government policy," Monteiro said, a war which he believes has yet to pronounce a winner.
Speaking about the continuation of the battle against the federal government, Monteiro enumerated ways in which he believes students can sustain the fight. Among the solutions he mentioned were helping to educate the public about the dangers of AIDS, the importance of contraceptives and the dangers of drug use.
Monteiro also called for a heightened presence of African-American role models when he asked the audience, "Who will be the vanguard? Who will be the new leadership?"
He suggested the creation of student movements at Penn to "save your generation," envisioning a bond of solidarity between "historically white colleges" and "historically black colleges" as a key element.
Some students who attended the event said they learned a great deal from Monteiro.
Wharton sophomore Rodney Smith said he came to the forum to increase his awareness of health care issues in the black community.
"In order for us as a people to progress, we must first determine what is holding us back," Smith said.
Wednesday's talk was sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. It was held as part of this year's Alpha Week, which commemorates the founding fathers of the fraternity and serves as a vehicle for educating students about issues affecting the African-American population.
