Pernessa C. Seele was among the first generation of AIDS educators, working at Harlem Hospital in the late 1980s, when she had her “crazy little” idea for Balm in Gilead. The organization has since grown from its initial mobilization of 50 churches in Harlem to an international enterprise inclusive of over 25,000 faith-based institutions, community-based organizations and governmental agencies focused around prayer and action “for the healing of AIDS.”

In the African American community, the church is the single most important institution in the community. (The Black church is the second largest employer of African Americans, after the government.) As such, the church is strategically positioned to play a major role in the fight against the spread of HIV/AIDS. What’s more, African-American women represent more than 70 percent of Black church membership and an even larger percentage of the volunteer force, positioning the collective power of faith-filled women in the forefront to address HIV/AIDS in the African American community.