Today Is National HIV Testing Day

Today, June 27, 2011 is National HIV testing day. This day is to increase HIV/AIDS awareness to all listeners of this station and abroad. The statistics are staggering. According to the CDC, every 37 miunutes a woman is diagnosed with HIV in the United States alone, and even more disturbing is that 66% of black women are the new onset cases. We must be aware, and stop living in darkness. Parents, we NEED to talk to our daughters and promote high self-esteem! So many of our young ladies are getting infected. Hydeia Broadbent, an HIV/AIDS activist recently stated it best:

"The important thing that I have learned, expecially in speaking with women is you can hand a woman a condom all day long, but if her self-esteem isn't right, tha condom is useless."

Very wise words that need to be adhered to. Many of our parents, youth leaders, church leaders need to stop being so afraid to talk about safe-sex and abstinence with our youth. Our young people are contracting STI's at alarming rates. We are asking community leaders, parents, teachers, Sunday school teachers, pastors, etc. to figure out ways to communicate to our young people. There are many ways to get a healthy conversation started with lots of information on the subject.

If we turn a blind eye to this problem it will only get worse. Do you know your status? If not, please get tested today, and keep getting tested every three months. Here are guidelines for safe-sex:

4. Get Tested.

3. Wear a condom.

2. Remain in a monogamous relationship.

1. Abstinence.

If our community works together for the greater good, we can get these keep ourselves and our youth from becoming statistics!

Watch Now: Love In The Time Of HIV/AIDS