Feature A Mid-South Perspective: African American Faith-based Organizations, HIV, and Stigma Tamara D. Otey, PhD, RN* Wendy Renee Miller, PhD, RN, CCRN Shelby County, Tennessee has the fastest growing rate of HIV infection in the state, and the majority of new infections are in African Americans. In 2011, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report stated that Memphis (the largest city in Shelby County) ranked seventh highest in new HIV infections. Little research has addressed HIV-related themes in African American culture that could hinder HIV prevention measures. Our qualitative study engaged African American, faith-based leaders in areas with high rates of HIV in meaningful conversations regarding their at- titudes toward HIV and those who are infected. Although faith-based leaders felt they had a role in HIV prevention, only 4% in our study had participated in HIV prevention activities, but they were open to HIV prevention programs. We found that faith-based leaders had limited knowledge of health disparities and ongoing stigma concerning HIV, which served as a major barrier to HIV prevention. (Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, -, 1-12) Copyright Ó 2016 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care Key words: African American, faith-based leaders, faith-based organizations, HIV, implementation science, stigma The prevalence of HIV infection in African Amer- icans is higher than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States despite federal, state, and local efforts to reduce this disparity (Griffith, Pichon, Campbell, & Allen, 2010). In Shelby County, Ten- nessee, the total estimated population in 2014 was 938,803, which consisted of 42.3% European American and 53.3% African American (U.S. Census Bureau, n.d.). The State of Tennessee ranks seventh for new HIV diagnoses in the country, and Shelby County, Tennessee has the highest rate of new HIV infections in the state. Research con- ducted by the Memphis Area Ryan White Planning Council (2012) stated that the factors lead- ing to Shelby County’s high rate of HIV were: (a) people living with HIV were unaware of their status, (b) insufficient public funding for HIV testing, and (c) public perception that HIV was no longer a po- tential threat. Can research offer a comprehensive perspective of the problem? Could there be undiscovered and undis- cussed HIV-related themes that exist within African American cultures that hinder HIV prevention mea- sures? What are the sociocultural implications for indi- viduals, families, or larger groups such as churches and other faith-based organizations (FBOs; Friedman, Cooper, & Osborne, 2009)? The consensus among re- searchers suggests that fear and stigma hold a tight grip on these communities, a condition that is unacceptable because it keeps people from knowing their HIV status and seeking care. Fear and stigma separate families and friends, resulting in humiliating hurt and loss (Parker & Aggleton, 2003). Tamara D. Otey, PhD, RN, is a Clinical Assistant Professor, University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. (*Cor- respondence to: tamara.otey@bjc.org). Wendy Renee Miller, PhD, RN, CCRN, is an Assistant Professor, Indiana University School of Nursing, Bloomington, Indiana, USA. JOURNAL OF THE ASSOCIATION OF NURSES IN AIDS CARE, Vol. -, No. -, -/- 2016, 1-12 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jana.2016.04.002 Copyright Ó 2016 Association of Nurses in AIDS Care