Jitambue Leo

Hello Beauties!

Today, I want you to ask yourself a question: What is more important to you? Your image, or your health? Now think about your peers, both male and female. What’s more important to them? Their outward appearance or how they feel?

The reason I want everyone to ask themselves this question is because of an article I read today on a program in Kenya called “Jitambue Leo” which means “ know yourself. This is a program in which teams will go door to door, asking people if they would please go and get tested for HIV/AIDS. Their goal is to get 1 million people tested in the next three weeks.

Kenya has one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in the world, with an estimated 7 to 8 percent of adults living with the disease. However, officials in Kenya state that those numbers are not accurate simply because a lot of adults refuse to be tested. In Kenya, simply being tested is a sign of sexual promiscuity.

That same mindset can be witnessed in the United States. And, like Kenya, too many people are spreading the disease and dying from it because they have not/will not get tested. So what do you think beauties? Do peoples’ perceptions of what it means to have HIV deter people from getting tested? How important is it for YOU to know, or to encourage others to know their status?

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8375127.stm

Kami, the HIV Positive Muppet

Hello Beauties!

Sesame Street, the longest running childrens program on US television is celebrating their anniversary on November 10th. This morning, on the news, they were talking about the many changes Sesame Street has gone through over the years and happened to mention a HIV positive muppet. I'd never heard of an HIV positive muppet, so I had to investigate.

Meet Kami. She is a character on Takalani Sesame, the South African version of Sesame Street. Kami was infected with HIV through a tainted blood transfusion as a baby. She is a happy girl with perpetutal sniffles, though she lost her mother to HIV/AIDS. Kami's purpose was to teach young viewers how to deal with sadness and loss in a way that they could understand.

Upon her introduction in 2002, many thought she would appear on the US version of the show. This sparked much opposition. Here is a statement from the Traditional Values Coalition:

The introduction of an HIV-infected Muppet on Sesame Street is problematic because HIV is spread primarily by homosexuals and bisexuals in the U.S. It is likely that an HIV-infected Muppet would be used to teach tolerance and acceptance of homosexuals to the preschool Sesame Street audience. In effect, this would be another propaganda tool to normalize homosexuality in our culture.

Ignorance. SMH. And this was not that long ago....2002! They missed the purpose of Kami's presence altogether. I am so glad to have learned about her. If I am blessed with children, they will defintely meet Kami and all the other Sesame Street characters. Hopefully, one day, the US will get over their fear and ignorance, and introduce Kami to american children.

To Sesame Street, Happy 40th birthday, and here's wishing many more years of your wonderful prorgram. To all, be blessed!

World AIDS Day

When I sat down to write this post for World AIDS day, I wasn’t sure about which direction I should go in. I could tell you that the first World AIDS day was December 1st, 1988. I could tell you that the CDC estimates that 1.1 million people in the US alone are living with HIV, and that an estimated 33 million are living with it worldwide. But does that really tell you why World AIDS day exists?

The fact of the matter is, though we can go and Google those statistics and study them for ourselves, we still do not take HIV/AIDS seriously. Most people with the disease will tell you, “I never thought it could be me.” But it can. Just ask one of the 7500 people who learn they have HIV every day. Ask the families and friends left behind from the staggering 25 million people that have died from the disease since the first known case in 1981. So what does it take for us to take the disease seriously? What will make us get up and get tested, and take responsibility for ourselves?

World AIDS day can be celebrated however you want to. But as for me, I am going to celebrate by being responsible. So I will go and get tested and I will encourage others to do the same. And I won’t be ashamed to be seen taking the test, because I’ll have one of the best defenses against HIV: knowledge.

Debunking the Myth of the "Down Low Man"

Hello Beauties!

For a long time, the common belief about the reason so many black women were being infected with HIV were because of "down low men." If you don't know what a down low man is, it's basically a man who secretly has sex with other men while simultaneously sleeping with unsuspecting women. They do not, however, identify themselves as gay or bisexual. Well recently, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) published a study stating that is NOT the case.

Dr. Kevin Fenton, Director of the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention (whew!) was on NPR recently to discuss the CDC’s findings. Here is a link to the transcript from that interview: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114237523



Ladies, we have to be responsible for our own behavior. Before you decide to become intimate with anyone, you have to ask questions about his history. If you want to have sex without a condom, both of you need to get tested. Don’t be afraid to rock the boat, because if he gets angry, chances are he has something to hide or he isn’t worth it anyway. Let’s stop making exceptions for “love” because we are playing with our lives. Be safe, be loved, and be blessed!