Female Celebrities Speak To Youth For National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
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The assembly entitled “I Am My Own Prevention” will focus on key topics such as self-respect, prevention, statistics on HIV/AIDS and STDs, and the effect that the media and “Hollywood” has on the misguided judgment of female youth.
A fact sheet provided by the Kaiser Family Foundation dated July 2007 states: Black women account for the far majority of new AIDS cases among women (66% in 2005); white and Latina women each account for 16% of new AIDS cases. Black women represented more than a third (35%) of AIDS cases diagnosed among Blacks (Black men and women combined) in 2005; by comparison, white women represented 15% of AIDS cases diagnosed among whites. Although Black teens (aged 13 - 19) represent only 16% of U.S. teenagers, they accounted for 69% of new AIDS cases reported among teens in 2005.
“Don’t believe the hype,” is the message that Malinda Williams, Nia Long, and Dr. Chrystal Evans-Bowman will deliver to the female students of Westchester High School. “What you see on TV is pure entertainment. Don’t glorify and emulate the television shows and the videos; be your own person, because at the end of the day, you are your own and only prevention!”
Jennifer L. Payne, Founder
S.T.A.R. Foundation
(818) 235-8270
www.foundationofstars.org
The S.T.A.R. Foundation stands for Success Thrives Around Respect. Their mission is to provide a foundation of respect within teenagers through mentoring, educating, and promoting the importance of living a healthy lifestyle which incorporates HIV/AIDS and STD prevention.