5 Things Every Black Woman Should Do on Dec. 1 (World AIDS Day)
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
By Kathleen Cross
from rollingout.com
Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day, a day on which all of us are asked to help raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, and to create a sense of urgency about preventing, treating and curing this deadly disease.
Unless you have been living in a bubble, you are probably already aware of the startling statistic that more than half of the 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States are black. That figure is especially alarming given the fact that African Americans constitute only 13 percent of our nation’s population.
Black men currently make up the majority of new HIV infections, and it is estimated that 1 in every 16 black men in America will contract this virus in his lifetime. If you are a black woman between the ages of 25 and 34, you are more likely to die of HIV/AIDS than any other cause, and the CDC projects that 1 in 32 black women will test positive for HIV in her lifetime.
If you are under the false assumption that the HIV virus is something only “certain kinds of women” should worry about, you are misinformed, and could be placing yourself in danger every time you have unprotected sex — even if the person you are having sex with tells you he is sure he is not infected.
The fact is, a heterosexual black woman is six times more likely to contract the HIV virus from unprotected sex with a man, than a black woman who contracts the disease using IV drugs.
HIV/AIDS is not a virus that seeks out promiscuous women who use dangerous drugs. The virus does not care about your personal life, how often you attend church, mosque or temple, or whether you are drug-free. The reality is, this deadly virus can infect a monogamous churchgoing, non-drug using woman if she has unprotected sex just once with an infected partner — even if that person is her only sex partner, her fiancé or her husband.
In addition to wearing a red ribbon to commemorate the day, if you are a black woman, (or if you know and love a black woman and care enough to share this with her) here are five important things to do on Dec. 1:
1. Get Tested for the HIV Virus
Maybe you are one of those people who think you really don’t want to know your HIV status. If you are thinking you’d rather stay ignorant, consider this:
When you receive the HIV test result you will either:
1) Celebrate the fact that you don’t have the virus, and commit to keeping it that way.
2) Acknowledge that you are one of the lucky ones who discovered the virus before it began wreaking havoc on your health. There are millions of people around the world currently using medication to keep AIDS at bay. An HIV positive test result is not a death sentence — it is a life sentence. The sooner you know the truth, the sooner you can start the fight to stay healthier longer.
At www.HIVtest.org you can input your zip code and find multiple testing sites near you.
Unless you can be 100 percent certain that the man you are having sex with has tested negative for the HIV virus (and has never subsequently had unprotected sex with even one other person, or used IV drugs), you should be using a condom every time you have sex.
This is a touchy subject for women in relationships that they believe to be monogamous, but please know that there are plenty of dead black women who didn’t want to offend their partner by insisting he wear a condom.
Remember that most black women with HIV/AIDS contracted it from heterosexual sex with an infected black man. The virus cannot read a marriage license, and it does not care if you are faithful to your boyfriend. A condom is not an insult to your sex partner — it is a symbol that you love yourself enough to stay HIV-free.
3. Learn the True Story of a Black Woman with HIV/AIDS
If you know a black woman who has contracted the virus, learn her story, and share it with others.
HIV/AIDS that touches a friend or loved one drives home the reality that the virus is a living organism that humans “give” to and “receive” from one another.
If you don’t know of a black woman with HIV/AIDS, search the Internet and learn someone’s story. Her story could save your life.
Here are a few amazing stories you will be glad you viewed:
http://whatgives365.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/my-name-is-wanda-and-i-have-aids/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI1_nCBdGt0&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpfYlM7AUmE&feature=related
4. Discuss HIV/AIDS with at least One Black Woman Age 24 or Younger
Share the sobering statistics about HIV/AIDS with a young woman who may not fully understand the risks, and let her know she is entering an age group of black women at the highest risk for dying of AIDS.
Help her understand that she could literally be placing herself in mortal danger if she is having sex without a condom with a man she is not 100 percent sure is virus-free.
5. Discuss HIV/AIDS with at least One 25- to 34-Year-Old Black Woman
Share the sobering statistics about HIV/AIDS with a woman aged 25 to 34 who may not fully understand the risks, and let her know she belongs to a group of black women at the highest risk for dying of AIDS.
Help her understand that she could literally be placing herself in mortal danger if she is having sex without a condom with a man she is not 100 percent sure is virus-free.-----------------------------------------
In addition, here are some websites to help you learn more.
Women's Health: http://www.womenshealth.gov/hiv-aids/
General Information: http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/
More General Information: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/
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