Disclosure: This article is a work from cited sources for informational purposes and is used with permission.
(Alabama)– According to the Encyclopedia of Alabama, there are more than 30 counties in the Black Belt Region. EA gave additional information about the characteristics within these counties by stating:
Its characteristics include low taxes on property, high rates of poverty and unemployment, low-achieving schools, and high rates of out-migration.
Rise in HIV Numbers
A recent Jan. 2024, article by Alabama Media stated that researchers with the University of Alabama conducted a study and found that three Black Belt counties (Dallas, Lowndes, and Perry) were considered severe HIV hot spots in Alabama.
The article gave additional details about the study by explaining:
In Perry County HIV the claims rate is 178.29 per 100,000, in Dallas it was 224.72 per 100,000 and in Lowndes it was 139.81 per 100,000.
A Black Belt Pastor’s Confession
In September 2014, WSFA reported that former Alabama pastor Juan McFarland went before the pulpit at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church (Montgomery Cty.) and confessed that he had full-blown AIDS and failed to disclose his status to multiple church members he had relationships with in the past. He also advised them that he had contracted HIV in 2003 and AIDS in 2008.