Prevention Services
Message from the Director
When I first heard about AIDS I was in high school. I remember seeing on the news that prostitutes were infected and truck drivers were getting AIDS from them. I didn’t connect it to myself. I lived with the myth that if you only had “one” partner at a time you could not get AIDS. I thought AIDS was for those who “slept around.” Not until I came to AIDS Community Resources did I realize that I was one of those women who had been at risk of contracting HIV all along. I didn’t realize the impact that HIV had on the community that I lived in all this time, until I started seeing old friends walk through the door HIV positive. The light bulb came on that it could have been me.
Like most teens I confused sex and love. Growing up in the Cornhill area of Utica there were very few African American mentors. You never had the confirmation that you were special, that you should value your body, or be encouraged that you could go places. I think many African American women lack a sense of empowerment.
There are people in our communities living with HIV/AIDS of all ethnic, racial and socio-economic backgrounds. There is a high teenage pregnancy rate therefore unprotected sex is occurring. If you don’t know the status of your partner you are at risk. It’s not who you are, but what you do that puts you at risk! We need youth to be educated now, before leaving for college, armed forces or independent living! Parents have to keep in mind, if we don’t educate our youth now, someone else will later.
If you smoke marijuana, drink alcohol, are having sex, use someone else’s prescription medication, or use illegal drugs, you are at risk of HIV and other STDs. If you say you know all about HIV then prove it! We need leaders like you!
Wenona Wake