Why I Walk... AIDS Walk 2008

On October 4th, I walked in the Whitman-Walker Clinic's Annual AIDS Walk. It was so amazing. There were thousands of people who came out to walk and raise money to end HIV/AIDS. Congratulations to Whitman-Walker Clinic. They raised over $700,000 for HIV/AIDS Awareness Programs. My team, Team Miss Black DC, is still raising money through the end of the year to support. I've been working to raise awareness and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS for several years now but never walked in an AIDS Walk before this year. During the Walk, I begin to reflect on why it's so important to me... I mean, no one I know personally has ever died from AIDS, none of my friends have HIV or AIDS, or do they???

In D.C., HIV/AIDS is at an all-time high. 1 in 20 D.C. residents are infected with HIV. 8 out of 10 D.C. residents who are infected with the virus are African-American. 9 out of 10 women in D.C. who are infected are African-American. Crazy, huh? Especially when this is something that you can prevent. For most of us, we have the choice whether we get infected. We choose whether to have sex or not. We choose whether to use protection or not. We choose whether to get tested and know our status or not. The choice is ours. Choose to protect yourself. Choose to get educated. Choose to put an end to HIV/AIDS!!!

I was so moved by the people that walked in the AIDS Walk and wondered what their stories were and why it mattered to them... To me, it matters because too many people like me are getting infected and dying. Too many people are perishing for a lack of knowledge. I walked for my friends, my sister, my 10 year old niece. I walked for youth in DC who are don't know how deadly this disease is. And I will keep walking and talking to people about HIV/AIDS until we put an end to this epidemic.


If you're interested in helping Team Miss Black DC raise money for HIV/AIDS in conjunction with Whitman-Walker Clinic, e-mail missblackdc@hotmail.com.


For statistics and other information of HIV/AIDS, see the following websites:

http://www.wwc.org/

www.cdc.gov/hiv/stats.htm

http://www.stophivaids.org/
http://www.thebody.com/