HIV-AIDS on Campus – Do You Know Your Status?
By Sheryl Nance-Nash
Kamaria Gammon got more than just a bundle of joy when her daughter
was born. “She tested positive for HIV because of my antibodies in her
blood,” says Gammon, 26, who was then tested.
“I was numb,” says Gammon, a sophomore at Florida A&M University
studying journalism in 2001.
The good news she says, is that if she had not given birth she
wouldn’t have gotten tested. I would have never known and infected
someone else,” she laments.
 There
was something else good in all the chaos. “I was headed down a path that
was very emotionally and physically destructive. God stopped me dead in
my tracks before I could entertain the thoughts and lifestyles of the
people that I was hanging around. He gave me a second chance before I
could ask.”
Time has helped to heal the hurt that Gammon says she inflicted on
her family. Her daughter is now HIV free and though Gammon’s viral load
is a little high, she is not on medication. Gammon, who lives in Winter
Haven, Fla., is studying business management/visual communications at
the American Intercontinental University online and works for the
Supervisor of Elections office.
Emotionally, she varies day to day. “I’m a single mom so I can’t
focus on being sad. My daughter isn’t going to see that side of what
people think HIV/AIDS is – the shame, the secrecy. She will see that
there is still hope no matter what life brings you.”
Disease Takes Toll on Black Students
Gammon’s situation unfortunately is not unique. HIV/AIDS has
disproportionately affected African Americans compared to other races
and ethnicities. Blacks make up roughly 13 percent of the U.S.
population but in 2005, they accounted for nearly 50 percent of all new
HIV/AIDS diagnoses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. And the hip hop generation is taking a big hit. In 2006, 17
percent of those ages 13-19 were Black, yet 70 percent of HIV/AIDS
diagnoses in that group were Black. Blacks made up 16 percent of those
ages 20-24, yet represented 57 percent of those with HIV/AIDS diagnoses
in that age group.
What’s causing the upsurge among African-American young people? For
starters, there is a lack of awareness of HIV status. “If you are
infected with HIV but don’t know it, you can’t benefit from treatment or
protect your partner from infections. African Americans are more likely
not to know their HIV status,” says Jennifer Augustine, Director of
HIV/AIDS Prevention, Advocates for Youth in Washington, D.C.
Secondly, she says the highest rates of sexually transmitted
infections are among African Americans. “STDs put you at greater risk
for HIV. Physical changes caused by STDs, including genital lesions that
can serve as an entry point for HIV, can increase one’s changes of
contracting HIV infection,” she adds.
The trend of multiple partners, males on the “down low,” and lack of
access to health care have also increased risks.
Organizations Reach Out to College Students
College students are vulnerable and that has not gone unnoticed. In
response to growing numbers of new HIV infections among Black college
students, the Black AIDS Institute and the Magic Johnson Foundation in
2005 founded L.I.F.E. AIDS (Leaders in the Fight to Eradicate AIDS), an
effort aimed at educating and mobilizing Black college students to
respond to the devastating effects of HIV/AIDS in the Black community.
The NAACP Youth & College Division has teamed with this group to sponsor
Teach-In and Town Hall conferences organized and facilitated by Black
college students, targeted for Black college students. The United Negro
College Fund Special Programs Corporation Division of Public Health
receives funding by the Office of Minority Health and the Department of
Health and Human Services to administer screenings at HBCU, testing,
outreach and prevention programs.
To heighten awareness on a national level, L.I.F.E. AIDS has held
numerous educational events across the country, asking students, faculty
and administration officials to wear special “got AIDS?” t-shirts to
increase the discussion about the disease on college campuses.
Last year, students from Clark Atlanta, Morehouse and Spelman
gathered to create panels for the national AIDS quilt. Advocates for
Youth is partnering with three HBCUs to improve/expand existing HIB
prevention services, including testing. “HBCU partners receive a seed
grant to implement action plans to raise awareness about HIV and promote
testing among Black students, as well as create local Young Women of
Color Leadership Councils that educate their peers through workshops,
community forums and media outreach,” says Augustine.
Because there is a lack of resources to fund community-based local
programs that promote HIV prevention, young people may believe they are
not at risk, she adds.
Life-changing Mistakes
“I thought it could never happen to me, but I was sadly mistaken,”
says Timothy Avant, 28, of New York City. On his 21st birthday he got
the bad news. “I felt that I was wasting away getting skinnier plus
having a lot of pains in the left side of my stomach,” says Avant, who
is in school studying vocal and musical performance and will make his
Off-Broadway debut in a production of Dreamgirls.
 “I
knew what it was. I just didn’t want to face it. Luckily I have strong
family and friends that supported me and were there for me when I found
out. I didn’t cry, get upset. All my mom and I wanted to know is, where
do we go from here?” he says.
Fast forward to today, he says he is in the best shape emotionally
and physically that he has ever been. “I’ve learned my lesson. But one
thing I really stress to a lot of young people is that I have no
regrets. Having HIV doesn’t run me, I run it.
He educates others about the issue through his work with Hope’s Voice
International. He says, “It’s my responsibility to let other young
people know that this disease is here and it’s not going anywhere soon.
We have to learn how to reprogram ourselves and learn to love
ourselves.”
Lastly, he says, “Love you, love life, love each other, and don’t
take anything for granted!”
ACTION STEPS
What can you do? Talk with your friends and partners about HIV. If
you’re not abstaining from sex, practice safe sex with a condom. It’s
also important to know your HIV status. Get tested. Get involved with
education efforts on your campus and community.
Resources for information about HIV/AIDS:
www.blackaids.org
www.advocatesforyouth.org
www.hopesvoice.org
www.whospositive.org
www.doeshivlooklikeme.org
www.bet.com/rapitup.com
www.hivtest.org
www.mysistahs.org
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