World AIDS Day 2011: Getting to Zero

In Akwesasne, we rarely hear about AIDS claiming one of our own-but what is important to realize is that it does happen. This year for World AIDS day let’s remember those who have fallen and learn ways to protect ourselves and prevent HIV & AIDS in our community. World AIDS Day (December 1) acts as a remembrance to all of human kind that this disease is still out there wreaking havoc on the lives of many, and this year, Akwesasne will do its part to spread awareness and learn ways to keep our community a healthy one. World AIDS Day was first implemented in 1988, three years after the discovery of HIV & AIDS in North America. Since its implementation in the ‘80s, World AIDS Day has been marked with the purpose of awareness and prevention and taken on such themes as: Our Lives, Our World-Let’s take care of each other (‘89), Women and AIDS (‘90), Sharing the Challenge (‘91), Community Commitment (‘92) and more recently, “Stop AIDS-Keep the Promise” (‘05-’10). This year’s campaign is geared toward our future and the future of HIV & AIDS, “Getting to Zero” plays on our hope that eventually we will have a world population where infections per year reach zero.

American Indians and Alaska Natives have the 3rd and 4th highest rate of new HIV infections per year. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), in 2008 the rate of infection was 22.8 per 100,000 persons for Native Hawaiians & Other Pacific Islanders, while American Indians and Alaska natives looked at an 11.9 per 100,000 infection rate (CDC, HIV surveillance report ‘08). Other race groups included a 73.7 infection rate for African Americans, 25.0 for Hispanic/Latino, 8.2 for Whites, and 7.2 for Asians. Of these groups who were diagnosed with HIV, American Indians/Alaska Natives had the shortest overall survival time (CDC, HIV surveillance report ‘08). Even though the numbers for the American Indian and Alaska Native group appear small, when population size is taken into account the impact proves to be much more extensive.

Many of us realize that HIV can only be spread through unprotected sexual contact-which translates to risky behavior. I have grown up on our reservation and have seen first hand the risk that our people put themselves through constantly without realizing it. Unfortunately, drinking and drugging are more often than not a part of this dangerous equation and cause many to act without thinking of the consequences. In our area, whether we’d like to admit it or not, a consequence that many have had to deal with is contracting a Sexually Transmitted Disease (HIV being one of them).

Our people seem to have this belief that if it’s not seen or spoken of, then it must not exist ... this has to be the most dangerous type of thinking for a people who have had to fight tooth and nail for survival. It’s time to end this deadly silence, and talk about what’s really going on. Our people are straying from their paths and onto a road filled with temptations that cloud their judgment and are forgetting where they come from and who they are. Many are caught up in that one moment where nothing else seems to matter-and only satisfaction is the desired goal. What we have to realize is that we are in a very vulnerable state-and no one is going to do the surviving for us. HIV / AIDS is an epidemic that has ravaged the world and made even the strongest of people sick; we are only being naive if we think it hasn’t reached the people of our community or our brothers and sisters throughout the Confederacy. It is our job to ensure the health of our seven generations-It’s our job to teach our youth the importance of keeping our bodies healthy and strong-It’s our job to end this silence.

Akwesasne-here is my challenge to you. Speak to your kids and teens about HIV and AIDS, tell them what it is and why they should protect themselves. Open up the doors of communication and welcome their questions-make a promise to them that they can talk to you about anything and you will do your best to find the right answers. We have learned in our history that silence doesn’t solve anything, and by taking a stand together we have the power to bring up a generation that is inquisitive and unafraid to get the answers they need. Our people have withstood assimilation by boarding schools, we have held strong in our beliefs when we were told they were wrong, we have built a community where there was none before, and now we can come together in the fight against HIV and AIDS. There is no need for our community to become a statistic, so in closing I would like to leave you all with something to think about. ...

HIV infection (among other STD’s) can be brought in from the outside through people engaging in high-risk behaviors while away from home. In our community, people travel to attend pow-wows, conferences, lacrosse/hockey games, vacation and also work to support their families. Akwesasne is lucky enough to be close to three highly traveled destinations, but something you may not know about these three destinations is that they are all the highest AIDS/HIV cases in their area.

AIDS is one thing that CANNOT be returned ... think about it-be safe and protect yourself!

For more information on HIV/AIDS and other STD’s and also other services provided, contact the ACT NOW office at 518-358-2001 and speak to Chantelle Beeson, the Community Educator. ACT NOW is a community based program affiliated with The American Indian Community House that is funded through the NYS Department of Health HIV I AIDS program.