WNBA Star Gives Voice to HIV/AIDS Awareness
For many students in the public speaking class at Stanford University last fall, the course wasn’t anything special. But for WNBA star Candice Wiggins, it was a juncture in a journey that, she believes, turned her squarely toward her destiny. The speech she gave was on AIDS awareness and the importance of needle exchange programs. It’s a subject she has sought to understand after her father, Alan, a former baseball player for the Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres,... Read More
What Are Your Condom Habits?
The good news is we are more likely than other ethnic groups to use condoms. The bad news is that using condoms still isn’t enough to drop the rate of AIDS infection among black folks. According to the Indiana University National Sex Study, not only are we most likely to wrap it up, but we are also most likely to be tested for HIV. A whopping 92 percent of black male teens and 100 percent of black female teens say they used condoms the last time they had sex. So what’s the... Read More
Your Must-Do List for March
Spring forward with the new season, which begins on March 20. Make the most of the extra daylight by spending more time outdoors and trying a new activity. It’s also a good time to spring-clean your life and surroundings. Here are other things to add to your March must-do list: March is … … Women’s History Month. It’s also the 100th anniversary of International Women’s History Day, which we celebrate 24/7. Join the celebration by paying extra attention to your present... Read More
Sheryl Lee Ralph Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of Divas Simply Singing
Sheryl Lee Ralph and her Divinely Inspired and Victoriously Anointed Singers (D.I.V.A.S) have done it again. This past Sunday Divas Simply Singing celebrated the 20th anniversary of the groundbreaking AIDS fundraiser featuring soulful singers at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. Diva’s Simply Singing veterans Pauletta Washington and Jody Whatley, in addition to newer faces like Tina Marie, Deborah Cox, and, Naturi Naughton were among this year’s divas. Two decades ago Ralph... Read More
Black AIDS Institute and Merck Create HIV/AIDS Treatment Network
The Black AIDS Institute recently launched the Black Treatment Advocates Network (BTAN) with pharmaceutical company Merck and local AIDS service organizations. The network will train and mobilize advocates for treatment and care of blacks with HIV/AIDS. “Improving HIV literacy and treatment advocacy and training more blacks as treatment educators are important to combating AIDS in black communities,” said Phill Wilson, CEO and president of the Black AIDS Institute... Read More
Save the Date!
Lynn Kidd-Freeman was so weak she was carried into an emergency room. She shrank to 96 pounds and didn’t know why. She was diagnosed with HIV in 1996 and told family and friends. Her disclosure led to help. “If I would have kept it to myself, I probably would have been dead by now,” says Kidd-Freeman. “It’s better (to know) sooner.” Kidd-Freeman, an AIDS advocate, is stronger now and urges black women to get tested for HIV. National HIV Testing Day is June 27. African... Read More
In the Next Issue of Heart & Soul
In the December/January 2011 issue of Heart & Soul (on newsstands November 26)Meet Our 2011 Cover Model Winner Beef Up Your Credit Score Assemble Your Glam Squad Get the Best Sleep of Your Life Sparkle for the Holidays What the New National HIV Policy Means for Us All Splash (in the Pool) and Burn (Calories) Kemba Smith 10 Years After Prison Nightmare Make Your Gift-Guide List and Check It Twice Your Diabetes Toolkit Social Networking and Your Relationship Ntozake Shange... Read More
STD Alert
We may know more about sexually transmitted diseases these days, but that doesn’t mean they’ve gone away. In fact, they are on the rise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). From 2002 to 2006, chlamydia rates increased by 17.2 percent among African Americans, and gonorrhea is 18 times more prevalent in blacks than in whites. Here are the most common STDs in women and how they are treated. Chlamydia: The most frequently reported and fastest... Read More
