Education Town Halls Scheduled In Ward 7 and 8

Mayor Adrian Fenty wants to hear your ideas for improving the District's Public School System. The Mayor will hold town halls in every ward with to capture input from parents, teachers, and students. The first two of these forums are in Ward 7 and Ward 8. The Ward 8 Town Hall will be Tuesday May 29th at 6:30 PM at Johnson Junior High, 1400 Bruce Place, SE. The Ward 7 Town Hall will be Tuesday June 5th at 6:30 PM at Smothers Elementary, 4400 Brooks St, NE. click here to download the flyer with details on these two events. Mayor Fenty needs to hear that every young person has the right to honest and accurate information about how to be protected from HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy, and that comprehensive sex education in our public schools must become a top priority. If you attend these events I encourage you to tell Mayor Fenty you support comprehensive sex education in our public schools. I also encourage you to ask the following important question. Is the Mayor ready to reject the abstinence-only-until marriage federal funding that the District currently accepts? As you may know, a broad coalition of youth-serving organizations have written a letter asking Mayor Fenty to reject the abstinence-only-until-marriage federal funding. The broad coalition of organizations that signed on to the letter include: DC Fights Back, City Year Washington DC, DC Primary Care Association, Girls Incorporated of the Washington DC Metropolitan Area, The Latin American Youth Center, Metro TeenAIDS, Sasha Bruce Youth Work, Young Womens Project, and Youth Action Research Group. To see the complete list read the letter. The American Medical Association has rejected abstinence-only-until-marriage education. They support teaching abstinence as well as honest and accurate information about HIV and pregnancy prevention. The Mayor however, has yet to commit to rejecting the abstinence-only-until-marriage federal funding. (This funding also requires a local match, meaning your local tax dollars go towards an HIV prevention program that medical experts agree doesn't work).

New City Council Member Yvette Alexander Includes HIV/AIDS as Top Priority

Yvette Alexander has been elected to fill the remainder of Vincent Gray's term on the city council representing Ward 7. Vincent Gray is now Chairman of the Council. Yvette told told 9 News Now that health care and education are her top priorities: "The most urgent problem facing Ward 7 is twofold," says Alexander. "Education and health care. Our schools need overall improvements in pre-K through 12th grade. In particular, I will champion the increases of vocational, career and technical training in our schools, as well as support building and curriculum expansion at UDC. With heath care, I will champion increased primary care options, medical emergency room care, and HIV-AIDS education, screening and testing. Improvements in both of these areas are a catalyst to an enhanced quality of life for all Ward 7 residents." Clearly Yvette will be an important advocate on the city council when it comes to HIV/AIDS. I haven't met her yet, but I look forward to doing so. Muriel Bowser was also elected to the city council to fill the remainder of Adrian Fenty's term as the councilperson from Ward 4.

Johnson Memorial Baptist Church: Another Ward 7 Resource

The Johnson Memorial Baptist Church now has an HIV/AIDS and Substance Abuse Program that launched this month. Joyce Frazier is the coordinator of the program, which operates at the church 800 Ridge Road S.E. Washington, D.C. 20019. You can stop by Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM; and Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM. For more information, contact Joyce Frazier at (202) 581-3670. Help spread the word about this new program: click here to download a poster and share it with others.

Update: National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day March 10th

New local events added - see below March 10, 2007 marks the second annual National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day which seeks to raise awareness of the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS on the lives of women and girls. This year's theme is "Taking Action to Save Our Lives". Women and girls can take action in the fight against HIV/AIDS in a variety of ways such as getting tested for HIV, practicing safe methods to prevent HIV, deciding not to engage in high risk behaviors, talking about HIV prevention with family, friends and colleagues, empowering oneself, and providing support to those living with HIV/AIDS. For more information click here. Local Events Friday, March 9th - 3:00- 5:00 pm @ Planned Parenthood of Washington (Ophelia Egypt Program Center) 3933 Minnesota Avenue, NE The Ward 7 HIV/AIDS Collaborative will engage young women through a "For Sisters Only Chat & Chew" rap session which will provide an open forum for women to share their experiences, successes and challenges along their journey with HIV. Whether infected or affected, the stories of our women are powerful and motivational. Friday, March 9th - 6:00- 9:00 pm @ Planned Parenthood of Washington (Ophelia Egypt Program Center) 3933 Minnesota Avenue, NE The Ward 7 HIV/AIDS Collaborative will engage, motivate and educate the Ward 7 community-at-large at our Community Gathering/Awards Reception. This reception will honor David Catania, Vince Grey, Justine Love, and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton for their involvement in the battle against HIV/AIDS. Onsite rapid oral HIV testing will be provided by Children's National Medical Center Family and Youth Connections, and Unity Health Care's Project Orion

Today is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

New! Download these documents: C2EA-MetroDC National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day Flyer Ward 7 National Black HIV/AIDS Day Media Advisory February 7 is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness and Information Day (NBHAAD). This annual observance day was created to raise awareness among African Americans about HIV/AIDS and its devastating impact on African American communities. The day is part of a national mobilization effort to get African Americans to learn more about the threat posed by the disease, get tested, get treated and make a commitment to fight HIV/AIDS. NBHAAD is a day to remember those infected and affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic-especially African Americans who are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Since 1981 when the first cases were diagnosed, AIDS has killed more than 20 million people, with African Americans accounting for 40 percent of those deaths. To learn more about the coalition, visit www.blackaidsday.org. Washington DC Events Keeping it Real: Youth HIV Rap Session at Eastern Senior High School. 11:30-12:30 PM. Sponsored by the Ward 7 HIV/AIDS Collaborative Counseling and Testing at Riverside CenterCounseling and Testing available from 3:30 to 5:00 PM. Located at Marvin Gaye Park – 5200 Foote Street, NE. Sponsored by the Ward 7 HIV/AIDS Collaborative. Community Gathering/Awards Reception: The Ward 7 HIV/AIDS Collaborative will host a reception from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Planned Parenthood Ophelia Egypt Program Center, 3933 Minnesota Avenue, NE. The Max Robinson Center Open House: The Max Robinson Center, located at 2301 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., S.E., will hold an open house from 3-5 p.m. for the local community to learn about health care services available there. Whitman Walker Clinic Reception: Whitman-Walker Clinic will hold a community reception at THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave., S.E., at 6:30 p.m. The event will include a presentation of a $150,000 donation to Whitman-Walker Clinic by DC Chartered Health, HIV testing and music and refreshments. Northern Virginia Event: The Alexandria Health Department along with Whitman-Walker of Arlington, K. I. Services, NOVAM, Positive Livin' and INOVA Juniper will host an education/information event which will include opportunities for testing and counseling, in recognition of National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The event will be held Feb. 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Alexandria Black History Museum, 902 Wythe Street in the "Olde Towne" section of Alexandria, VA. For more info, please e-mail dakween2@yahoo.com.