AIDS : 30 Years Later
It was in 1981 that AIDS burst on the scene. As a young man of nineteen ,my awareness of certain issues had not developed.I was not concerned about the AIDS epidemic because at that time it was primarily in the gay community.Being that I was not gay it was not high on my priority list.
The epidemic then spread to the black community as drug addicts contracted the disease. Being that I didn't take drugs, no concern again.
The epidemic then took a turn,it was discovered that the infection rate among black
heterosexuals was raising.Magic Johnson brought this awareness to everyone, male or female,gay or straight.I was concerned.
Then the black community looked upon this scourge a a curse, a curse from the government .With a history of government exposure and experimentation regarding diseases .Remember the Tuskegee Experiment. Perhaps it was true,awareness was the name of the game.I became concerned.
My concern for AIDS and HIV ,heightened when a co-worker contracted HIV.I called my co-worker who,welcomed my voice,because it was a remindeer of life.You see those who contracted HIV back then were shunned by the community.
The hip hop community was one of the first groups outside of the gay community who talked about and increased awareness if the disease.Long before te nation began to take a more active role in the treatment ,Salt n Pepa put it on ourradar screens.
In two places , Oak Cliff and my birthplace of Washington D.C. HIV Rates have soared in both communities. 30 years later we are all concerned. Concern , Awareness ,Straight ,Gay, Black,White, and still no cure. We must find a cure for each group affected by this disease. If we are not infected ,we must all be affected.We must be affected by our humanity,a humanity that says we are all tied by this common thread -called life.
The epidemic then spread to the black community as drug addicts contracted the disease. Being that I didn't take drugs, no concern again.
The epidemic then took a turn,it was discovered that the infection rate among black
heterosexuals was raising.Magic Johnson brought this awareness to everyone, male or female,gay or straight.I was concerned.
Then the black community looked upon this scourge a a curse, a curse from the government .With a history of government exposure and experimentation regarding diseases .Remember the Tuskegee Experiment. Perhaps it was true,awareness was the name of the game.I became concerned.
My concern for AIDS and HIV ,heightened when a co-worker contracted HIV.I called my co-worker who,welcomed my voice,because it was a remindeer of life.You see those who contracted HIV back then were shunned by the community.
The hip hop community was one of the first groups outside of the gay community who talked about and increased awareness if the disease.Long before te nation began to take a more active role in the treatment ,Salt n Pepa put it on ourradar screens.
In two places , Oak Cliff and my birthplace of Washington D.C. HIV Rates have soared in both communities. 30 years later we are all concerned. Concern , Awareness ,Straight ,Gay, Black,White, and still no cure. We must find a cure for each group affected by this disease. If we are not infected ,we must all be affected.We must be affected by our humanity,a humanity that says we are all tied by this common thread -called life.
posted by EdGray4America.com at
7:39 PM
2 Comments:
Good blog post Ed. Thanks for spreading the awareness. In 2011, its still something the black community doesn't want to talk about. But we have to be informed so that we can make better decisions that affect our lives and our being.
Interesting thing I found out while in Africa. There is a study that alovera helps slow down the process of HIV. There are many plantations there that harvest Alovera plants to help with further testing and medications. It's just like cancer, it doesn't care your color, your income or status.....
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