Sororities unite to educate about HIV

Fritz Klug
News Editor

Ondraya Dixon and Danielle Royster sat in front of a group of cameramen, photographers and a journalist to be tested for HIV Friday. Their goal was not to know if they themselves had the virus (they both knew they were negative) but to raise awareness of getting tested within the black community.

Dixon, 34, and Royster, 39, are members of Zeta Phi Beta and Alpha Kappa Alpha sororities, which are part of a campaign with Community AIDS Resource and Education Services to encourage blacks to be tested for HIV/AIDS.

“There is nothing to be ashamed of or afraid of,” Royster said.

What drove to Zenda Thompson to get involved were the statistics in Kalamazoo — blacks make up 14 percent of Kalamazoo’s population, but have 59 percent of the HIV/AIDS cases, nine times higher than white people. One fourth of people who are infected don’t know.

“I felt obligated,” said the president of the alumni chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho.“If it continues down that path the future doesn’t look good.”

The group made five You Tube videos to post across the Internet to get the word out about the testing.

The videos can be viewed here.

CARES has been around since 1985.

“Then, our primary role was to help people prepare to die,” said Patricia Clark, medical case manager. “With new medication, we help people live with the virus.”

Currently, CARES serves 11 counties in Southwest Michigan and offers free testing and support services.

A test takes a few minutes minutes and the results come back in seven to 10 days.

“There is no reason not to know your status,” Dixon said, adding that poverty, STIs, homophobia, and the stigma of being infected are reasons why blacks are infected.

CARES also offers anonymous testing, where the only record kept with the specimen is a number that only the patient has.

“CARES takes away all the barriers,” Dixon said.

Still, the biggest problem is facing the fear of having AIDS, Dixon said. “Some people may not want to know.”

The campaign will culminate in the second annual Black Love: We Hold These Truths on Feb. 27 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. at FIRE, 1249 Portage Rd., music, poetry and dancing.

CARES offers free HIV/AIDS testing from 1 to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday at their office at 629 Pioneer St. in Kalamazoo.

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=15098

Posted by HeraldAdmin on Feb 25 2010. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

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