HBCU SUMMIT ON HIV/STD/STI ( I Need Your Help)
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Posted By: Tawain Kelly on March 25, 2006 HIV and AIDS continue to hit the black community harder than any other racial or ethnic group. Blacks accounted for the largest percentage of HIV or AIDS diagnoses in 33 states from 2001-2004. "Although blacks accounted for approximately 13% of the population of the 33 states during 2001-2004, they accounted for the majority of HIV/AIDS diagnoses," the CDC notes. "Blacks accounted for the greatest percentage of cases among males (44%) and the majority of cases among females (68%)," the report continues. Blacks also had the biggest percentage of pediatric HIV/AIDS diagnoses linked to HIV's spread to babies from HIV-infected mothers (69%). HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. The most common transmission for HIV infection for both black males and females was sex with a man. "High-risk heterosexual contact is the main route of HIV transmission among black females and the second most common route among black males," say the CDC report. An HIV outbreak has occurred among black college students. HBCU school are so scared to say its here and we need to educate these kids and support programs like HIV 101. Let the students deal with it now, instead of having to dealing with it later. Everyone knows that college students have sex—and lots of it. Many young adults have numerous partners and engage in unprotected sex and other risky behaviors that can result in sexually transmitted diseases. According to the American Social Health Association, one in two sexually active Americans will contract an STD by 25. HIV risk among college students particularly black students has been ignored. So we need to help in our own community before we go and help someone else community. Its our community that has been hit hardest. That changed in November 2002 when North Carolina public health officials discovered that two black male college students were infected with HIV. Concerned about the potential for a widespread problem, North Carolina researchers reviewed cases of HIV among men between the ages of 18 and 30 reported during the previous three and a half years. Their findings? HIV infection among college-age males grew from two cases in 2000 to 56 in 2003. Forty-nine of these men (88%) were black. A total of 37 campuses were involved and, of those, 11 were historically black colleges and universities (HBCU's). Nearly all of the infected men had sex with other men. Some had also had sex with women. Black students and universities were at ground zero of America’s first HIV outbreak on college campus. Shock, Amaze? Why? AIDS remains the leading cause of death for black women between the ages of 24 and 34, and it’s the third leading killer of blacks in that age range overall. The scariest statistic? Experts believe the high death rate among young black adults may be explained in part by the fact that African Americans account for 65% of HIV infections among teens. Why is this happening? For starters, many colleges attended by black students are located in or draw students from areas with high HIV rates—from Northern cities to rural settings in the South. Case in point: Washington, DC, where the rate of HIV infection is ten times the national average. Many of these areas have high levels of poverty, less access to health care and health insurance and a prevalence of intravenous drug use, homelessness and the trading of sex for drugs—all risk factors. Urban areas also draw young, same-sex-loving black men, a group whose HIV rate has been reported to be as high as 32%. We need curriculum that covers abstinence, condom use and testing for STD's and HIV we need HIV 101. I want my 8 year old niece and other kids to have a future not a fear. We need to arm our future with the knowledge/education they need in order to be HIV/AIDS, STI and STD free. We need more programs like the S.T.A.R.R. Program ( Students Taking Active Roles and Responsibilities) started by Lorraine Dunbar a counselor at Benedict College in Columbia, SC and we need HIV 101 a free program from the American Red Cross to educate the youth our future. HBCU's have much more outreach, education and awareness programs going on in other areas of school why not put more effort into protecting our future instead of having these once in awhile group discussion with only 10 people to show up. We tell students you must show up for convocation or have these Seminar classes lets have HIV 101 put on the rooster as a required class. STUDENTS WANT TOO KNOW!!! Then provide them with the class. But few universities are willing to talk on the record about the extent of their education and testing knowledge. Why? Because they don't know and sad but true they don't want to know because they don't believe its on campuse. No college wants to present itself as anything other than a safe learning environment. Instead of getting a BA degree in Mass Communication you got HIV for life. Students, administrators and parents continue to inaccurately blame the disease’s spread on gay and bisexual men, including those on the “down low,” DL or MSM ( Men Sleeping with Men). Those labels are one of real reason HIV is high because we look for those type people but you put yourself at risk when these things happen: unprotected sex regardless of sexual orientation and intravenous drug use. It can also contribute to homophobia, driving gay and bisexual black men further underground. Don't be afraid of the open gay person be afraid of the ones that don't tell or afraid to tell you they like both sex. If a man tell you he like both men and women, then he to me is good man because he is honest. So you have a choice to make to deal or not to deal. Then to the fellas you can accept the fact of a woman sleeping with another woman, but when it comes to a man you frown your nose at them and vice versa to the women that frown their nose at other women. Dose that makes sense? No!! So stop doing it and stop discriminating, unless you want it done to you. The word is starting to spread on campus that condom is a must, many people use them or with casual partners rather than their main squeeze—whether or not their honey has ever been tested. I stress being honest, no you don't have to tell everyone your business, but if you plan to sleep with someone then it's not your business anymore it becomes their business also. If you need a true face of HIV/AIDS then I will put minds out there if it will save yours. I feel some higher ups', on HBCU campuses fear that opens discussion of sex and homosexuality may jeopardize funding sources and since most schools are either state-funded religious and/or conservative we don't need to talk about it. So while a few school openly conduct HIV education and outreach, others go about it gingerly, and many don't do it at all. While the recent declines in HIV rates among African Americans were driven by reductions among IV-drug users, they provide good news: Education, prevention and testing work! When people test for HIV, those with negative results are taught how to stay that way, including abstaining and using condoms. Positive people like me are informed about treatment options, referred to medical resources and urged to report their status to past and present partners (the law doesn't require it). The medicine is getting better and people are living longer. I came in contact in 1992, I found out on September 12, 1997, I got sick in 2004. I went from 137 to 62 pounds and now at 124 and still gaining. My T-cell count was at 3 ( normal is 800-1200). So the medicine works for me. But you got to take it if you want to live. Its hard as hell but it does work. I understand the fear of receiving bad news that you are HIV positive and just want to fall in a hole and die. You have that choice but you also have the choice to live and that is what I am doing. You can also. Summer is coming up and people are going home. You may be positive and don't know it, then you take it back home with you and never know until you get tested. You could be spreading it and not know it. Get tested. If you have had sex in the last 9 years, especially unprotected you could be positive. Look at me as someone life you don't want to live when it comes to HIV, but look at my life as a life you want to live if you become positive by staying positive. To prevent HIV from further exploding into the community, our young people, families and communities we all must take responsibility for getting tested regularly, knowing our HIV status, talking to partners about our risk factors and always—always!—practicing safer sex. We must make this the new “normal” in our love lives. Our future depends on it on each other. You can't say you don't know about it, I am telling you about. If you need me to come to you I will. I will put a real face on it. If you need me there to talk about and share then I will do it because God is not going to ask me what I did for myself, but what did you do for someone else. I want a summit that's open to all HBCU and others to talk about education solutions and what we all can do to get HIV " Right Together". Countless black young adults of all sexual orientations, including HBCU students, are at risk. Without more people talking about it, true education this train wreck will keep happening over and over. This epidemic will grow and you don't have to keep blame it on the white man because it the black people that will brings this genocide to full affect. Watch and see or do something to make it not happen. If you want to get in contact with me go to www.visionleadershipinstitute.org If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Tawain Kelly
Freelance Video Photographer , Ty Photography Benedict College class of 2007 Member Since May 2005 |
Comments
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Appreciate the share of the knowledge so desperately needed. Many ignore life Bro until it hits them head on because many want to live free. Keep up the great work, all that will claim will claim and the Bible is loaded like in Proverbs those who choose not to. Those are the ones always using, "OH LORD!"... Tuesday, March 28th 2006 at 8:05AM |
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