First National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.

As the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) prepares to launch the first annual National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on March 10th throughout the United States, Community Education Group (CEG), a DC-based agency, prepares to launch two new initiatives: “Dusk to Dawn,” a community event in collaboration with other local agencies and “One of Five” a campaign to get women and girls discussing HIV and other health issues within their social and familial networks. The primary purpose of Dusk to Dawn is to raise awareness and inspire women and girls to start talking openly about HIV/AIDS and get tested for HIV on March 10, 2006.

“Dusk to Dawn,” will begin at 12:01 AM March 10, 2006 with a faith-based push at the New Commandment church where testing and other events will be held. “Dusk to Dawn” will culminate with Know your Status party from 8 PM until 11:59 in Ward 7. This event will include music, dancing, HIV mobile testing and other activities (contact CEG for exact location).

Educating African American women and their families for over a decade, A. Toni Young, Executive Director of Community Education Group, has been at the national forefront of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The “One of Five” campaign will
encourage and inspire women and girls to talk to 5 others about HIV/AIDS.

“Our goal is to get African Americans talking openly as a family and as a community about HIV/AIDS and how they can protect themselves and each other,” said Young. She continues, “Our goal on March 10th is to conduct our HIV/AIDS Awareness day from ‘Dust to Dawn,’ taking our show on the road and reaching women and girls in their neighborhoods.” Community partners collaborating with CEG on the “Dusk to Dawn” event include: Shiloh Baptist Church, DC Women Collective, HIPS, and the Egypt Clinic. The Women’s Collective and the DC Department of Health are providing HIV mobile testing throughout the district.

To date, African American women and girls bare the brunt of HIV/AIDS cases in the United States. Between the years 2000 and 2003, HIV/AIDS rates for African American females were 19 times the rate for White females and 5 times the rate for Latina/Hispanic females. African American and Latina/Hispanic women accounted for 81 percent of new AIDS diagnoses in 2004 among women.

Nationwide, an estimated 944,306 Americans have been diagnosed with AIDS from the beginning of the epidemic through 2004. Of the 42,514 estimated new diagnoses in 2004, 73 percent were male and 27 percent were female.

“National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is a catalyst for CEG,” added Young. “The key message we want to communicate is that HIV is a women’s issue, specifically an African American woman’s issue.” Joining the National Awareness Day with the “One of Five” campaign is a groundbreaking national effort to reach African American women and girls on their turf.

Community Education Group is a not-for-profit community based organization committed to social change focusing on the creation and expansion of programs and projects addressing the health, social-economic, environmental, and systemic challenges facing the African American family.