Out With The Old, In With The New: Welcome to the New Millennium

By: Tiffany D. Joyner

Finally. The clock struck 11:59p.m. on December 31, 1999, one could feel the anticipation lingering heavier than the salty air breezing in from the nearby Biscayne Bay. Only 50-seconds left before the countdown began. What to do? Reflecting on the past decade and all those that didn't get the chance to make it to this point; their legacy will be remembered with the media's help, right? 10, 9, 8 -- the ball began its decent. 7, 6, 5 -- crossed fingers become sweaty in hopes that the Y2K bug is all a myth. 4, 3, 2, 1 -- "Happy New Year!" That famous brightly lit ball dropped, ringing us all into the new millennium with song reminding us that time goes by.

Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot and days of auld lang syne?

And in that exact moment of bittersweet nostalgia, media focus shifts from the real issues faced within local communities to what celebrities showed up to the biggest White Party of the century.

OK, so not that dramatic, but I think you get the point.

Each year, the masses are on one accord with the notion of "out with the old, in with the new." And why not? Why shouldn't one focus on what's to come, instead of what once was? But what happens when that unfinished and unresolved issue that once was still is?

The global pandemic that is HIV/AIDS hit hard in the nineties. HIV/AIDS hit ad campaigns worldwide in the nineties. Unfortunately, HIV/AIDS also hit home in the nineties. According to the International Women's Health Coalition, the disease has claimed more lives than, "all of the wars in the twentieth century combined." Despite the awareness that politicians and celebrities drilled into our heads in the twentieth century, media coverage on HIV/AIDS seems to have little to no place in today's society. In the news room that is. An October 2003 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that "72-percent of the U.S. public said that most of the information they get about HIV/AIDS comes from the media, including television, newspapers and radio.

"Which makes me think...hmmm. If it isn't discussed in a public forum (mass news media) then it is eradicated or just plain doesn't exist, right? Wrong!

In 2006, according to Advocates for Youth, more than half of all new HIV infections occurred among people 25 years of age or younger, rounding out at about 11.8 million youths living with HIV or AIDS globally. The UNAIDS statistics in 2007 reported 33.2 million adults and children living with HIV/AIDS, with 2.5 million of those being newly infected cases. On the opposite end of the life spectrum, there were 2.1 million AIDS-related deaths on the global level in 2007. It is not a homosexual disease nor an African-American disease. HIV/AIDS affects people of all races, creeds and origins and if not treated early, can claim the healthy lives of many worldwide.

On a more local level, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported there being 475,871 adults and children living with HIV/AIDS in the United States in 2005, although a whopping 27-percent of all HIV-infected people remain undiagnosed.

San Francisco used to top the nation in HIV/AIDS cases, but with extensive research and education targeting those infected individuals, the focus has shifted from the West to the East Coast. South Florida to be exact. The disease that causes AIDS is rapidly spreading to black and immigrant communities, according to the CDC's HIV/Hepatitis/STD/TB Prevention News Update in 2004. One of the largest communities fitting in that demographic is throughout Miami-Dade, Ft. Lauderdale and the Palm Beaches. Many of the stereotypes seen throughout these communities such as poverty, cultural differences and language barriers continue to hinder the fight against HIV/AIDS. In 1996, according to the CDC, there were about 2000 news stories done on HIV/AIDS, and about 60,000 new AIDS cases were diagnosed that same year. Compare that to 2002, where there were under 1000 news stories on the subject and over 40,000 newly reported cases. There was obviously a demand for media attention, no?

If we don't educate ourselves properly, the disease wins. Instead of catching up on the latest happenings in the Spears family soap opera, why don't we give ourselves and generations to come a better future. A future where HIV/AIDS is a thought of the past. My voice is only so powerful; the media ultimately is paramount in influencing a nation by telling them what issues to think about.

When the time rolls around again for that glowing ball to drop, try rethinking shooing out the old; we can only be oblivious to this dire threat for so long.

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B-Hive Project Brings Students Together in the Fight against AIDS

By: Yolanne Almanzar

They seem like unlikely advocates for HIV and AIDS awareness in South Florida.

Most of these college students are under 20, dealing with the stress of roommate conflicts and their top priority is graduating on time.

But for the past two years, Leaders in Residence, a student dormitory hall at Florida International University, has been educating its college peers about the facts of the disease and its affect on the South Florida community through The “Be HIV Educated” Project, also known by the acronym B-HIVE.

“There’s still a lot of myths surrounding the disease and we’re trying to change that,” said Monique Tavarez, a senior who has lived in the hall for two years.

It started in 2005, when Tamara Marryshow, a resident assistant on campus, felt a change needed to happen.

Marryshow was a college junior then and involved in a host of extracurricular activities. But as her time at college was nearing its end, she was concerned that the FIU community was not taking a stand on an issue that affects thousands of local residents.

“There were no awareness programs to educate people about HIV and AIDS,” she said.

She knew that she wanted to start a movement that would motivate others to continue making a difference when she was gone, while providing a forum for education.

The structure of the program was simple: year-long fundraising efforts through car washes, pizza sales and raffle tickets would allow the project to make a hefty donation to a local organization and a day-long event on World Aid’s Day would satisfy the educational component through free HIV testing, speakers and testimonials from those who have the disease.

With the help of Marryshow’s close friends, the project raised almost $3,000 for the Children’s Home Society of Florida, an organization that helps families whose lives have been affected by HIV and AIDS.

The following year, Marryshow got her own Leaders in Residence students involved and made it their project. The chosen beneficiary since then has been The Center for Positive Connections, a facility in Miami Shores that provides various services like holistic health treatment, counseling and job assistance.

Former Executive Director James Konschnik said the center had been devastated by cuts in federal funding and the students’ donations have been used to fund scholarships for those who cannot afford to pay for the center’s services.

"We are so grateful to the students of FIU for their help," he said.

Now that Marryshow has graduated, students like Rachel Alexander have stepped up to ensure that B-HIVE continues to be successful.

Alexander, who helped out in homeless shelters throughout high school, said that volunteering locally motivates people because they see results.

“It isn’t just handing a check to a random person. You actually see the person’s face and the impact of what you’ve done,” she said.

Though she’s never known anyone with the disease, the project inspired her to take on more responsibility, such as leading a trip to the Gay Men’s Health Crisis center in New York last March. After spending a week with the HIV positive community, Alexander said it allowed her to put faces to a “human disease that affects us all.”

“It has no boundaries. Ballet dancers, multimillionaires, homeless people—it can happen to anyone,” she said.

Stephanie Hernandez, this year's B-HIVE director, got involved the same year as Alexander. She admits that she was swept up into the program by her resident assistant, Marryshow.

Her motivation changed after she saw her first B-HIVE testimonial. Though she does not remember the exact words anymore, she said she can still remember the woman’s emotion.

“I could just tell by the look on her face that she was so grateful,” she said. “The center helps her and we help the center.”

In the past two years, the students have raised over $6,000 for the center.

Alexander and Hernandez are now roommates. Their room is overflowing with bees, the honorary mascot of the project. There are flyers with bees on them scattered on the floor, bee cutouts pasted to their doors and even plastic piggy banks painted with the black and yellow striped jacket of the insect.

Typically, students are only allowed to live in the Leaders in Residence hall for one year. But for the first time, student mentors can return and guide the new students in the community’s traditions.

Both women said they want the new residents to feel invested in the project. Hernandez said the hall is the core support for the program.

Though students have to juggle a lot with their responsibilities as committee members, Alexander said the bonus is connecting with hall mates in a deeper way than in other college dormitories.

"Working with peers who care, I've learned that a common goal is more important than anything else. It really brings people together," she said.

Rosemary Artigas, one of the new students in the hall, said the project is what initially drew her to live there.

"The idea that this hall dedicates itself to service of others in our community was amazing. I knew I wanted to be a part of that," she said.

Alexander said that the ultimate goal is to have it become a larger, campus-wide event and that there are some students interested in starting the project at the University of Miami.

Artigas, who has helped out at pizza sales, said the hard work is worth it because of the program’s potential growth.

“I just know that this will be huge one day and it’s kind of cool to know that we’ll be the founders,” she said with a smile.

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Crusada Research

By: Stephaine Garay

Finally, the notion that one-size-fits-all when it comes to health care is slowly starting to fade away.

The National Institutes of Health gave Florida International University a $6.5 million grant to research drug abuse and HIV/AIDS among Latinos. One of the university’s goals is to design ways to help prevent the disease in the area the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported had the highest increase in new HIV/AIDS cases in the country in 2005: South Florida.

"There's a growing problem of HIV/AIDS in Miami's Hispanic community and among Hispanics nationwide. The population in Miami is in many ways different than in the rest of the country. It hopefully will provide us with some answers as to why Latinos abuse substances and why there's a growing rate of AIDS," Mario De La Rosa, director of the Center for Research on U.S. Latinos, HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse (CRUSADA) at Florida International University told the Miami Herald.

CRUSADA is currently conducting studies on subjects such as the impact of the hurricanes on HIV/AIDS and the differences of HIV and substance abuse behaviors between Hispanic and non-Hispanic youth in Florida.

However, another research topic may prove to be especially valuable to the Latino community. De La Rosa and doctoral candidate Patria Rojas are conducting a study on the inter-generational transmission of drug use between Latina mothers and daughters. Relationships between Latina mothers and daughters are paramount and may serve as reliable indicators for behaviors and lifestyle choices.

The importance in studying Latina drug use lies in the fact that Latinas who are casual or chronic substance abusers are at an increased risk for HIV/AIDS. A paper published in American Psychologist stated that “studies have shown that people who are heavier drinkers or drug users tend to have more sexual partners and to use condoms less consistently.” Risky behaviors like this put this group at an increased risk for becoming infected with HIV/AIDS.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Latinas are five times more likely to be infected with HIV/AIDS than white women.

However, this study will not only give insight into the all important correlation between drug use and HIV/AIDS risk, but will also address the issue of culturally relevant methods of educating the diverse population of South Florida.

The study evaluates the methods that were used in obtaining the information from subjects. For example, all but one of the interviewers were bilingual, thus making it easier for the subject to speak in the language with which they were more comfortable. The interviewers were all women because previous research shows that women are more comfortable speaking about their sex lives with other women.

Of course, the researchers admit their pitfalls, especially in translation and word choice. For example, the paper cites one instance where a woman did not understand the term “partner” to mean significant other and initially said she did not have a partner. Later, researchers realized she did in fact have boyfriend but that she had been unfamiliar with the term used.

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Critics Question the Effectiveness of White Party Week

By: Melissa Bill

Miami, Fl. – A local event aimed at educating the public and stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS might be encouraging un-safe sex. White Party week is an annual event held here in Miami by Care Resources. The event brings more than ten-thousand members of the gay and lesbian community together to raise awareness in the fight against AIDS. White Party week is one of the world’s largest and oldest fundraisers for AIDS and HIV prevention.

The party’s popularity has grown immensely over the past few years, but some people question the motives behind such festivities. “I think these parties perpetuate or increase the risk of people being infected,” said Sioux Vargas, an employee of Care Resources. Many of the parties are held at various club venues around Miami and last until the early morning hours. Some Care Resource workers have seen things during these events that cause them great concern. “All you see is just plain partying and drinking and drugging. Crystal-meth and you name is what’s going on at these events.” said Vargas. “I think if you had something like a concert type atmosphere, I think it might reduce the risk.”

While the week-long parties raise a significant amount of money for AIDS, some people like Liz Matoz, a health care worker here in Miami, think it would be beneficial to include more of the community. “White Party week is open to everyone, but promoters target mainly the gay and lesbian community. I think they should be more open to include an even larger section of the community. Maybe even churches,” said Matoz.

Care Resources does host many effective campaigns throughout the year. They hold an AIDS walk in downtown Miami and other various fundraising events that have helped raise awareness and raise money in the fight against AIDS.

White Party week, which started off as a fundraising event has become more of a circuit party to many attendees. A couple from Minneapolis, who has been planning to attend the event since last year, opened up about what brought them to the festivities. "We came here to get away from the cold weather and get some sun, and some bum," said Steve and Mike.

Over the years the message that the event was meant to convey has been lost. There are no longer free condoms handed out at the door of each event, or discussions on protected sex.

The spread of AIDS/HIV is still on the rise according to a 2007 stats report. Florida currently ranks third in the nation in the number of persons living with AIDS. The Miami metropolitan area has the highest AIDS rates in the nation (52.8) followed by Ft. Lauderdale (45.8) nationwide men who have sex with men represent the largest portion of new infections (49%).

AIDS among young gay men appears to be making an alarming comeback, according to a recent article in the New York Times. It also seems that its affects are being felt more by the Hispanic and black community. The main reason given behind the surge is that people have become less cautious. New York City health officials report new diagnoses of the H.I.V. infection in gay men under age 30 rose 32 percent between 2001 and 2006. According to the New York Times’ article officials are citing increased drug and alcohol use to be the main cause.They go on to say that people are not getting tested before having sex with a potentially infected partner.

On the other hand infections in gay men over 30 dropped 22 percent. Probably because these men have seen the disease take the lives of friends and partners. They know how horrible the affects of the disease are when full blown. AIDS use to be untreatable, but then came the cocktails of the 80’s, which allowed people affected with the disease to live years without showing symptoms.

Another reason for the surge could be linked to the rise in bathhouses and cruising sites here in Florida and throughout the U.S. There are plenty of designated places where men can go to engage in anonymous sex. “It’s not unusual for you to have multiple partners in a place like this,” said a young man who frequents a place called The Club in Ft. Lauderdale. In places such as San Francisco, bathhouses were shut down and people in the gay community came out strong against unsafe sex in the early 80’s. Now it seems that people have forgotten the risks, or maybe are just too young to remember.

The young people of today seem to believe that HIV/AIDS no longer takes lives. Although the prognosis for those infected with the disease has improved thanks to antiretroviral therapy, it’s still too soon to know what will happen in the future.

In the past year new ad campaigns are making an impact. The grim reaper commercial from Australia shows a group of individuals going up an elevator and stepping out. They’re greeted by the grim reaper who throws a bowling ball towards them anticipating a strike. Everyone is knocked to the ground and the next group steps out. The same thing repeats itself with each group until no one’s left standing. M.A.C. Cosmetics also recently started a new H.I.V/A.I.D.S. awareness campaign designated to treatment, education and prevention. The campaign has raised millions of dollars that have gone into starting new clinics in impoverished areas, and educating people at risk such the young and the poor.

The bottom line is people need to start speaking out in favor of safe sex and stop viewing A.I.D.S as the treatable disease. It’s still claiming thousands of lives every year. It’s up to us as a community to educate the young and instill a sense of self preservation. A.I.D.S has become nothing more than a venereal disease to those who insist on having unprotected sex. Events such as White Party week should not only seek to entertain, but also inform its attendees.

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