Happy Black Girls Rock Red Pumps!

Today is Happy Black Girl day and National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD). In honor of two fine occasions, I post.

HIV/AIDS is an epidemic that is killing women off. Every 35 minutes, a woman test positive for HIV/AIDS in the US. And new statistics show that HIV/AIDS cases in the some parts of US are outpacing Africa. True Story! 1 in 4 Americans living with HIV are women.

What’s even more alarming to me, as a Happy Black Girl rocking her red pump is, is how HIV/AIDS is ravaging my sisterhood. Do you know the statistics for Black women and HIV/AIDS? Well let me share some

HIV is the:

§ Leading cause of death for Black women (including African American women) aged 25–34 years.

§ 3rd leading cause of death for Black women aged 35–44 years.

§ 4th leading cause of death for Black women aged 45–54 years.

§ 4th leading cause of death for Latina women aged 35–44 years.

§ The only diseases causing more deaths of women are cancer and heart disease

§ The rate of AIDS diagnosis for Black women was approximately 23 times the rate for white women and 4 times the rate for Latina women

§ In 2006, teen girls represented 39% of AIDS cases reported among 13–19 year-olds. Black teens represented 69% of cases reported among 13–19 year-olds; Latino teens represented 19%.

And sure I’m sad as a woman that 280,000 of the 1.1 million people with HIV/AIDS in the US are women, but it breaks my happy little Black girl heart that in 2005 Blacks and Latinas accounted for 82% of the estimated total of AIDS diagnoses for women while only making up 24% of the population (based on 2005 census). As much as this Happy Black Girl likes to stay happy, the thought of losing even one Happy Black Woman to HIV/AIDS makes me sad. It makes me want to share my good news.

See the spread of HIV/AIDS is preventable. You see this Happy Black Girl doesn’t need to be sad because other Happy Black Women can be abstinent or use condoms and dental dams when having sex. Most importantly Happy Black Women can get tested and know their status so they will not unknowingly spread the disease to their partners/spouses. Happy Black Women can also rock some red pumps today in honor of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

Thanks to The Red Pump Project and their drive to get 500 blogs to sign up and spread the word and statistics about HIV/AIDS many more women and girls will understand about HIV/AIDS and take the precautions to prevent it from spreading.

You can find out about all the cool things Luvvie & Karyn are doing today and through out the year to raise awareness of HIV/AIDS among women and girls by clicking here. As a Happy Black Girl I am always happy to celebrate the day by big upping Happy Black Girls that are making a difference in our community! Happy Black Girl Day! Know your status.

Be EZ,

OG