World AIDS Day – December 1st
By Hope Wilkos, Blogger
Photo Credit: George Whylie
This past Wednesday, December 1st, was a day marked by triumph, empowerment and unity.
In honor and recognition of World HIV/AIDS Day, Brooklyn Borough Hall was illuminated (RED) to signify the attainable goal of ending mother-to-child transmission of AIDS by 2015. Just imagine, if this goal became a reality, it would mean the first generation of babies born HIV-AIDS free in 30 years. We are already beginning to see a symbolic downtown with approximately 60,000 less babies born with the disease. Statistics show that approximately 90% of these infants are born in Africa.
In addition to Brooklyn, there were cities all over the world whose landmarks were illuminated (RED) on Wednesday evening. Some of the major cities included Philadelphia, Capetown, Madrid, Sydney, Dublin, Geneva and London.
Many people are familiar with (RED) as having a working relationship with large corporations such as American Express, Apple, Converse, GAP and Starbucks. Unique products are marketed in the form of candles, clothing, shoes, laptops and jewelry to name a few. Fifty percent of the profit goes to the Global Fund to invest in HIV and AIDS programs in Africa.
(RED) originally launched in 2006 and has proudly raised $150 million for the fund and over 5 million people have been positively impacted by programs supported by (RED) purchases.
The Wednesday event was held in Brooklyn because it is a known fact that Brooklyn had the highest HIV diagnoses in New York City in 2008. Believe it or not, 7.1% of our nation’s children under the age of 13 are living with HIV/AIDS right in the heart of Brooklyn.
The evening at the Borough Hall was attended by powerful advocates for the cause. Hosting the evening was Marty Markowitz who is Brooklyn Borough President. He was joined by Malaak Compton-Rock who is the founder and director of Journey for Change which is an organization that led 30 teens this past summer to South Africa to care for orphaned and vulnerable children with AIDS. Also present was former supermodel, Christy Turlington Burns, who has a long list of credits to her name. She is the maternal health advocate and founder of Every Mother Counts and part of the organization, Empowering Youth Through Global Service. The message behind Every Mother Counts is that sustainable development around the globe can only be achieved if maternal deaths are prevented. Quality maternal health care must be accessible to all women.
To round out the list was well-known actress and activist, Gabrielle Union.
Rocky Helsop of Pure Fame Media-FR TV was able to secure an interview with Gabrielle and spoke to her in detail about her viewpoint on this pivotal evening and the campaign against AIDS. There were teens from Journey for Change, a Rep from (RED) and New York City officials that also attended the event.
The United States is a leader in the global effort and fight to defeat AIDS around the world. Through the US President Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the United States is making smart investments that will ultimately help bring us closer to a world free of HIV/AIDS. Our government works with dedicated organizations and individuals every day to make this goal a reality. The main message is to eradicate this preventable and treatable disease.
Highly respected Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week designer Calvin Klein has teamed up with musician Bryan Adams to create a series of images for the NYC AIDS Fund. This work of art is called ‘American Women 2010’ and features Julianne Moore, Lucy Liu, Renee Zellweger, Jerry Hall and so many more. The pictures are for sale now and proceeds are to be donated to the NYC AIDS Fund.
To learn what you can do to play a part in this huge effort and to gain more knowledge on World HIV/AIDS Day, go to www.joinred.com or www.angelrockproject.com. Every one of us can make a difference in this very widespread fight to eliminate HIV/AIDS across the globe. The first step is to educate and the second step is to eradicate.
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