Tuesday, March 23, 2010
TURNING 50 MY YEAR OF APPRECIATION
5:24 PM | 
Posted by
Ewanda
In January, I started receiving initiations to join AARP. At first I was a little upset because no one wants to think of themselves as old. But the more I thought about it the more I realized that there was a part of me that did not want to accept that I was turning 50 in a few months. Yes, the big 5-0! Once I confronted the fact that time was marching on (no pun intended) I started to realize how much I have to be thankful for. There are so many friends and family that did not make it to the year 2010 let alone 50. Because I have made a conscious decision not to dye my hair there are some who think that I am already 50. I prefer to think of my decision not to dye my hair is to let my wisdom show. I can tell you in the last few years I have gained so much wisdom and knowledge about myself and what I want out of life. One of the things that has helped me grow spiritually is reading Our Daily Manna (ODM), www.ourdailymanna.org. I read the Morning Prayer, Daily Devotionals and Daily Prophetic Declarations every morning. It sets the tone for my day. ODM also has another book entitled “Prayer Bullets for Winners”, which I use for specific issues. I called their main office in Lagos, Nigeria to let them know that they are greatly appreciated.
I have grown so much and have been giving so many unique opportunities. I have had the opportunity to work with people with HIV for 30 years. Because of that experience I have been able to travel around the world. I also started not only writing about my experiences with HIV but also my personal experiences. Writing about some of my personal experiences has been painful but healing at the same time. I never thought that other people would be interested in what I was thinking or what I had to say. I just happen to be searching the internet and found this station called "talk gospel.com". The station which was based in UK was a part of Premier Media . Premier is the largest Christian media outlet in Europe. Talk Gospel primary featured African and Caribbean pastors and played all urban gospel. Through one of the DJ's I learned about str8up.com.uk. I went to the website which was mainly geared to 15 to 35 year olds. On that website there are opportunities to voice your opinion on a variety of topics. I decided to write about my experiences working with the HIV community. I never thought that I would see my experiences on a screen. I was very grateful for the opportunity. During this time I also decided that I wanted to use the public/community relations experience to serve the faith-based community so I founded my own company, Faith & Knowledge in Action, LLC. I have been able to assist community and faith-based organizations with getting the word out about their events and services. Fast forward to last year when I met Eric Nzeribe the publisher of Funtimes Magazine at one of the Mayor's Commission on African and Caribbean Immigrant Affairs' meetings. At first Eric asked me to assist him with preparing for the grand opening of his new offices. As time went on I found myself using a lot of the skills that I acquired in the last 30 years. Now I am officially the Media & Community Relations Consultant for the Magazine. I have had the good luck to interview some of the most exciting African and Caribbean musicians. I also have had gained professional experience promoting the magazine while attending great events.
Well today, March 22nd is my birthday. I did not plan a big party or grand vacation. I am just basking in the fact that I am still alive and that there is so much that I have to look forward to. I so appreciate all of my friends and family that has helped me through some very difficult periods of my life. I now have the chance to talk about my experiences so that others can be helped and find some peace. I could start thanking people who have blessed me but that would almost be a page by itself. While others who are turning 50 this year want to turn back I instead want to march forward. Most of all I am thankful to God that he loved me so much that he has allowed me to see 50. Remember that each day is a blessing!
I have grown so much and have been giving so many unique opportunities. I have had the opportunity to work with people with HIV for 30 years. Because of that experience I have been able to travel around the world. I also started not only writing about my experiences with HIV but also my personal experiences. Writing about some of my personal experiences has been painful but healing at the same time. I never thought that other people would be interested in what I was thinking or what I had to say. I just happen to be searching the internet and found this station called "talk gospel.com". The station which was based in UK was a part of Premier Media . Premier is the largest Christian media outlet in Europe. Talk Gospel primary featured African and Caribbean pastors and played all urban gospel. Through one of the DJ's I learned about str8up.com.uk. I went to the website which was mainly geared to 15 to 35 year olds. On that website there are opportunities to voice your opinion on a variety of topics. I decided to write about my experiences working with the HIV community. I never thought that I would see my experiences on a screen. I was very grateful for the opportunity. During this time I also decided that I wanted to use the public/community relations experience to serve the faith-based community so I founded my own company, Faith & Knowledge in Action, LLC. I have been able to assist community and faith-based organizations with getting the word out about their events and services. Fast forward to last year when I met Eric Nzeribe the publisher of Funtimes Magazine at one of the Mayor's Commission on African and Caribbean Immigrant Affairs' meetings. At first Eric asked me to assist him with preparing for the grand opening of his new offices. As time went on I found myself using a lot of the skills that I acquired in the last 30 years. Now I am officially the Media & Community Relations Consultant for the Magazine. I have had the good luck to interview some of the most exciting African and Caribbean musicians. I also have had gained professional experience promoting the magazine while attending great events.
Well today, March 22nd is my birthday. I did not plan a big party or grand vacation. I am just basking in the fact that I am still alive and that there is so much that I have to look forward to. I so appreciate all of my friends and family that has helped me through some very difficult periods of my life. I now have the chance to talk about my experiences so that others can be helped and find some peace. I could start thanking people who have blessed me but that would almost be a page by itself. While others who are turning 50 this year want to turn back I instead want to march forward. Most of all I am thankful to God that he loved me so much that he has allowed me to see 50. Remember that each day is a blessing!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
National Women’s and Girls’ HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
March 10th marked the annual National Women’s and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. It seemed to be appropriate to commemorate this day during Women’s History Month. Women are making history, especially women of color, sadly in regards to the number of new cases of HIV/AIDS.
According to the CDC in 2007, more than 25 percent of diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States were among women and girls aged 13 years and older. The numbers are unsettling: More than 278,000 women and adolescent girls in this country are living with HIV; and almost 94,000 American women and girls with AIDS have died since the epidemic began. Women and girls of color—especially black women and girls—bear a disproportionately heavy burden of HIV/AIDS. In 2007, for female adults and adolescents, the rate of HIV/AIDS diagnoses for black females was nearly 20 times as high as the rate for white females and nearly 4 times as high as the rate for Hispanic/Latino females. Relatively few cases were diagnosed among Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander females, although the rates for these groups were higher than the rate for white females.
HIV/AIDS was the leading cause of death among African American women ages 25-34 and the third leading cause for ages 35-44 in 2002. Heterosexual contact or injection drug use is the primary modes of transmission of HIV for women across racial/ethnic groups.
These statistics are downright depressing. I am often asked why the number of African American women living with HIV/AIDS is so high. If you look at the history of HIV we may find the answers. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was defined for the first time in 1982 according to the UNAIDS’ fact sheet “Twenty years of HIV/AIDS.” In that year three modes of transmission were identified: blood transfusion, mother–to-daughter and sexual intercourse. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus was identified as the cause of AIDS in 1983 and in that same year an epidemic of AIDS was reported in Africa. In Africa most of those infected were heterosexual. In most parts of the world the disease was portrayed as a disease that was only affecting “gay white men.” AIDS is not now nor ever has been just a “gay white man’s disease.” Since the focus was on a certain type of lifestyle, the thought of women being infected was often overlooked.
What really amazes me is the fact that there was a time in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s that African-American women who worked in the home health field were the main ones taking care of those persons living with AIDS. If you think about the history of this country and the role African American women played from slavery to the civil rights era they were always caring for other people while being forced to neglect their our families. But somehow many of them managed to keep their families together as much as possible.
AIDS works along with domestic violence, substance abuse, lack of education and access to health care, mental illness, homelessness, unemployment, incarceration and yes, low self-esteem to wreak havoc on the African American community. Since African American women are the heads of the household in many families, whatever affects them will affect the family. African American women have often been trailblazers in education, science and politics. What will happen if we don’t address the HIV in the African American community? We are in danger of losing generations of women who will never have a chance to make history.
Thankfully there is some good news. Women of color are now more involved with the research treatment and prevention of HIV. We need more women in clinical trials because medications work differently in women. I am glad to know that African American women of all age groups are speaking out about HIV. Now I realize that everyone may not agree with how and why women are speaking out but at least they are doing something.
My hope and prayer is that women will take time to talk about the treatment and prevention of the disease. Everyone should get tested regardless of your martial status. Make getting tested for HIV apart of your annual check up. If you know someone living with HIV encourage him or her to seek treatment. This is our chance to improve the lives of future generations of women. Remember knowledge equals life, ignorance equals death.
According to the CDC in 2007, more than 25 percent of diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States were among women and girls aged 13 years and older. The numbers are unsettling: More than 278,000 women and adolescent girls in this country are living with HIV; and almost 94,000 American women and girls with AIDS have died since the epidemic began. Women and girls of color—especially black women and girls—bear a disproportionately heavy burden of HIV/AIDS. In 2007, for female adults and adolescents, the rate of HIV/AIDS diagnoses for black females was nearly 20 times as high as the rate for white females and nearly 4 times as high as the rate for Hispanic/Latino females. Relatively few cases were diagnosed among Asian, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian/other Pacific Islander females, although the rates for these groups were higher than the rate for white females.
HIV/AIDS was the leading cause of death among African American women ages 25-34 and the third leading cause for ages 35-44 in 2002. Heterosexual contact or injection drug use is the primary modes of transmission of HIV for women across racial/ethnic groups.
These statistics are downright depressing. I am often asked why the number of African American women living with HIV/AIDS is so high. If you look at the history of HIV we may find the answers. Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was defined for the first time in 1982 according to the UNAIDS’ fact sheet “Twenty years of HIV/AIDS.” In that year three modes of transmission were identified: blood transfusion, mother–to-daughter and sexual intercourse. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus was identified as the cause of AIDS in 1983 and in that same year an epidemic of AIDS was reported in Africa. In Africa most of those infected were heterosexual. In most parts of the world the disease was portrayed as a disease that was only affecting “gay white men.” AIDS is not now nor ever has been just a “gay white man’s disease.” Since the focus was on a certain type of lifestyle, the thought of women being infected was often overlooked.
What really amazes me is the fact that there was a time in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s that African-American women who worked in the home health field were the main ones taking care of those persons living with AIDS. If you think about the history of this country and the role African American women played from slavery to the civil rights era they were always caring for other people while being forced to neglect their our families. But somehow many of them managed to keep their families together as much as possible.
AIDS works along with domestic violence, substance abuse, lack of education and access to health care, mental illness, homelessness, unemployment, incarceration and yes, low self-esteem to wreak havoc on the African American community. Since African American women are the heads of the household in many families, whatever affects them will affect the family. African American women have often been trailblazers in education, science and politics. What will happen if we don’t address the HIV in the African American community? We are in danger of losing generations of women who will never have a chance to make history.
Thankfully there is some good news. Women of color are now more involved with the research treatment and prevention of HIV. We need more women in clinical trials because medications work differently in women. I am glad to know that African American women of all age groups are speaking out about HIV. Now I realize that everyone may not agree with how and why women are speaking out but at least they are doing something.
My hope and prayer is that women will take time to talk about the treatment and prevention of the disease. Everyone should get tested regardless of your martial status. Make getting tested for HIV apart of your annual check up. If you know someone living with HIV encourage him or her to seek treatment. This is our chance to improve the lives of future generations of women. Remember knowledge equals life, ignorance equals death.
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