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A television show airing in February will put a face on people living with AIDS and examine how two cities -- one in South Africa and the other in New York -- have forged a bond to meet the epidemic.
"From Harlem to Soweto: Black Churches Speak!" will be broadcast Feb. 25 on the Odyssey Network's new "World of Faith and Values" show. The segment will be the summary of a live simulcast that took place Dec. 1, on World AIDS Day, and involved St. Mark's United Methodist Church in the Harlem community and St. Matthew's Anglican Church in Soweto.
The original simulcast, fed to 30 African countries by African television Dec. 1, was produced by The Balm in Gilead, a U.S. organization dedicated exclusively to empowering churches in the struggle against the devastation of HIV/AIDS in the black community. For the past 12 years, The Balm in Gilead's pioneering achievements have enabled thousands of churches to provide comprehensive educational programs and compassionate support to encourage those infected by HIV to seek and maintain treatment.
The February airing will highlight the service and introduce viewers to common stories of hope and struggles from both continents. The broadcast also will spotlight the bond that Harlem and South Africa share, from the days of civil rights and apartheid to the current AIDS crisis.
Actor Ossie Davis will host the hour-long program. It will air at 2 p.m. Eastern time Feb. 25, and will be repeated at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 26 and at 2 a.m. Feb. 27.
"I've called this unique and compelling because this kind of service has never been done between two churches on two continents, on the issue of AIDS," said Jeneane Jones, director of television programming for United Methodist Communications in Nashville, Tenn.
"It's compelling because the communities being hit hardest by the disease are the same communities where many churches have historically been reluctant to embrace the issue and the hurt in the community," she said. "But that's changing. And this program illustrates the change in song, and moving testimony and powerful sermons.
"From Harlem to Soweto" will introduce the sister relationship between the two cities and highlight the celebration in Harlem following the release of Nelson Mandela from prison. In another segment, people living with AIDS or HIV in Harlem will be profiled.
Odyssey, owned by Hallmark Entertainment, the Jim Henson Co., Liberty Media Corp. and subsidiaries of the National Interfaith Cable Coalition (NICC), reaches almost 30 million households in nearly 1,500 cable systems nationwide. NICC is a consortium of nearly 70 Jewish and Christian faith groups, including the United Methodist Church.
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