Be AWARE!!!

Today is National Black HIV/Aids Awareness Day, "a national mobilization effort designed to encourage black people to get educated, get tested, get treated, and get involved with HIV/AIDS, as it continues to devastate black communities." The day was started by the CDC and the Strategic Leadership Council.

I'm pretty sure by now we all recognize the importance of being aware of how this disease has and continues to affect our communities. Living in DC, I'm constantly reminded of the alarming statistics, so much so that I chose to do my graduate school thesis on the Perceptions of HIV/Aids in the Black Community by the Black community. What I found was that even though we all know the facts, people are still easily led to believe that this can't happen to them or that its a disease strictly within the gay and "down low" communities.

In my focus groups, I had people from 2 specific cities (DC, Atlanta, and Detroit) sit around and give their opinions on different aspects concerning the disease and the Black community. Then, I passed around information and statistics about their specific neighborhoods, gave them a chance to read it, and then had them discuss how or if that information affected what they first believed. Sometimes it did. Sometimes it didnt. But overwhelmingly people just didnt realize how prevalent it is.

That's why its so important to arm yourself with all the information concerning this disease, but also the numerous other sexually transmitted infections. Unfortunately, in this case... what you dont know, can definitely hurt you.