ORIGIN OF THE GATHERING

By Dr. Phillip Valentine, HHC; ND

Wholistic Health Consultant, Naturopath, Fasting Therapist, Life Enhancement Technician, Metaphysician, and Clinical Hypnotherapist

Of course it all began in a storm of controversy. How else?

The “Black media” in New York City had just about bought into all of the medical propaganda surrounding the AIDS hoax. Brothers and sisters from the grassroots Nature-Healing community, who were once trusted, supported, and given platforms from which to discuss pertinent issues concerning the health and well-being of Melanated peoples here and abroad, were ignominiously silenced - replaced by “Black professionals” from government and the medical establishment spewing Orwellian psycho-babble tailored to incite fear, confusion, and above all conformity in the minds of the Black viewing and listening audience.

I myself no longer had access to the “Black” airwaves - nor was I allowed to express my views through the Black print media. Everywhere I turned, people I once considered friends in the struggle for truth and justice, had done a complete 180.

In the “White” media they pushed AZT. In the “Black” media they pushed Kemron.

Since 1986, my views concerning the hoax called HIV/AIDS were looked upon by “community leaders” as insane, ridiculous - even dangerous. I was ostracized from the so-called “circle of acceptance,” even by some parts of the grassroots cultural community. I was seen as a non-scientific egomaniac using tabloid techniques to gain popularity and attention.

All of the so-called ‘legitimate’ doors to public access were slammed in my face. It became clear to me that the truth was not for everyone. So, I did the next best thing. I took my message underground. 

What hurt the most during these times, was the fact that some of my closest friends in the struggle were the first to be lost to the other side. I was determined however, not to allow the AIDS hoax to go unchallenged any further in the Black community. Interferon-based drugs like Kemron were already proven useless as a remedy in the White gay community many months earlier. Kemron, which was alleged to have been created in Africa (by an African trained at Harvard University) was being promoted aggressively by radio station WLIB for weeks, which was unprecedented advertising for a race-based drug on a Black community-based radio station.

The New York Amsterdam newspaper also lock-stepped to the medical drum, with its release of an article by Sylvester Leeks entitled “Cure for AIDS discovered in Africa.”

Enough was enough. I called a community meeting. I printed 500 flyers with the heading “AIDS is a Hoax,” and distributed them at all the popular meeting places in the cultural community. I invited the brothers and sisters who were recruited by WLIB Radio and Black doctors with vested interests, to validate and promote Kemron throughout our community.

On the day of the event, 75 to 100 people showed up! I was stunned! I eagerly set about the task of presenting the contradictory evidence. The brothers and sisters who attended listened very carefully. They asked serious, intelligent, thought-provoking questions - and after 4 and 1 half-hours of fruitful exchange, the dye was cast.