2008 Woodie Awards
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Campus Pals Shed Light on HIV/AIDS
BY MELISSA NOEL
11/8/07
Campus
Campus
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The HIV/AIDS epidemic is running rampant through the African-American community.
The most recent statistics show that 44 percent of people living with the virus are African American and out of that percentage, more than half are under the age of 25.
Even with these staggering statistics, some say the community does not talk enough about it to make a change.
In an effort to spark change within the community, the Campus Pals in conjunction with the School of Communications Student Council, AIDS Action and Campus Progress hosted Flashing Lights: HIV/AIDS in the African-American community.
"We wanted to have an event that all students could participate in and at the same time learn from," said Jasmine Mosley, a sophomore business marketing major and Campus Pal.
On Wednesday night, Howard University alumni and former Campus Pal William Brawner immediately grabbed the attention of the audience when he shared his personal account of living with the HIV virus virtually his entire life.
He wanted to share his story with students so that some of the myths they hold could be dispelled, and he wanted to be sure that students do not continue to think that they cannot become infected with the virus.
Brawner was very honest with the audience about his past behaviors but assured them on why he feels it is his purpose now to go out and talk to people about HIV/AIDS and educate them.
The audience learned that Brawner is happily married and will soon start a family.
Students really appreciated having Brawner in attendance because many felt that his story made them more willing to be proactive in prevention.
"HIV/AIDS is a problem, however you always hear about people dying from it, so it was nice to hear from someone who is living with it," said freshman print journalism major Kendra Handy.
The event allowed for the audience to really get involved by being able to ask questions.
"HIV/AIDS are now and so we need to act now because most of the new cases affect people not just our skin color, but also our age," said Anthony Ibe, a sophomore finance major. "We need to take every possible opportunity to further our knowledge on this topic and get tested."
What the organizers wanted people to get out of this event is motivation to remain aware, to get involved in the fight against HIV/ AIDS and to spread the word.
So where do we go from here was a question that was asked, and the answer was we can only progress forward.
The most recent statistics show that 44 percent of people living with the virus are African American and out of that percentage, more than half are under the age of 25.
Even with these staggering statistics, some say the community does not talk enough about it to make a change.
In an effort to spark change within the community, the Campus Pals in conjunction with the School of Communications Student Council, AIDS Action and Campus Progress hosted Flashing Lights: HIV/AIDS in the African-American community.
"We wanted to have an event that all students could participate in and at the same time learn from," said Jasmine Mosley, a sophomore business marketing major and Campus Pal.
On Wednesday night, Howard University alumni and former Campus Pal William Brawner immediately grabbed the attention of the audience when he shared his personal account of living with the HIV virus virtually his entire life.
He wanted to share his story with students so that some of the myths they hold could be dispelled, and he wanted to be sure that students do not continue to think that they cannot become infected with the virus.
Brawner was very honest with the audience about his past behaviors but assured them on why he feels it is his purpose now to go out and talk to people about HIV/AIDS and educate them.
The audience learned that Brawner is happily married and will soon start a family.
Students really appreciated having Brawner in attendance because many felt that his story made them more willing to be proactive in prevention.
"HIV/AIDS is a problem, however you always hear about people dying from it, so it was nice to hear from someone who is living with it," said freshman print journalism major Kendra Handy.
The event allowed for the audience to really get involved by being able to ask questions.
"HIV/AIDS are now and so we need to act now because most of the new cases affect people not just our skin color, but also our age," said Anthony Ibe, a sophomore finance major. "We need to take every possible opportunity to further our knowledge on this topic and get tested."
What the organizers wanted people to get out of this event is motivation to remain aware, to get involved in the fight against HIV/ AIDS and to spread the word.
So where do we go from here was a question that was asked, and the answer was we can only progress forward.
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