Hello world!!!
This past Sunday, I attended the
Keep The Promise March on Washington. This Rally and March was organized by the
AIDS Healthcare Foundation. People in attendance at this event were people living with HIV/AIDS, advocates, politicians, supporters, friends, family, etc.; there were more than 2,000 people in attendance. Speakers included Dr. Cornel West, Tavis Smiley, Ambassador Andrew Young, Michael Weinstein, Jenny Boyce, Reverend Al Sharpton, a video message from Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and many more. The predominant message that was echoed at the Rally and March was the significance and urgency of President Barack Obama and other elected officials to do more in combating this domestic epidemic.
In my personal platform (
SHERO), H is for health and E is for education; I chose to attend this event because I saw it as a great initiative for HIV/AIDS awareness in the United States, Sierra Leone, and all other nations. Sexual health and education is very relevant in today's society, and dialogues must be created in order to eradicate the existence of HIV/AIDS in our communities. In a country of 6 million people, Sierra Leone has 49,000 people living with HIV but only 3,660 people are receiving antiretroviral theraphy (ART) according to
AHF. Sierra Leone has the lowest treatment proportion of any of the African countries in which AHF has a liaison. Do you know that nearly 1.2 million Americans are now living with HIV/AIDS with nearly 50,000 new infections every year? This is an all-time high according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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| An entertaining performance was done by these ladies |
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| Emcee of the Rally, Margaret Cho |
Comedian and actress, Margaret Cho, mentioned that she has been involved with HIV/AIDS activism since she was a teenager during the height of the epidemic in the 1980s. She stressed on the importance of finding a cure as well as prevention.
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Poetry by Roxanne Hanna-Ware
She has been living with HIV |
Thousands of researchers are in our nation's capital this week for the 19th International AIDS Conference. The conference will take place in the U.S. after 22 years of struggle against U.S. travel restrictions.
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| Member of the rally who asked to take a picture with me |
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With Aaron M. Laxton, HIV/AIDS blogger, activist, and public speaker
He had one of the many powerful signs at the Rally and March |
Aaron M. Laxton is a dynamic young man that I met at the Rally, who has been living with HIV. Read more about him in his
blog, and watch his youtube
videos. His story needs to be heard by all.
Michael Weinstein is the President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. He stated that the Rally and March "...is about a rebirth of AIDS activism across this country. Our message today is the war against AIDS has not been won. Our message today is that the world must keep its promise. Now is not the time to withdraw and also today that the voices of people living with HIV in this organization will be heard."
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| L to R: Sign language interpreter, Dr. Cornel West, Michael Weinstein, and Tavis Smiley |
Dr. Cornel West was one of the keynote speakers at the Rally, and it was great hearing him speak again. I first saw and heard Dr. West speak at my university a few years back when he was invited as the keynote speaker for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, hosted by Virginia Tech's Alphi Phi Alpha. Dr. West is a prominent and provocative democratic intellectual who has taught at the Union Theological Seminary, Yale, Harvard, and the University of Paris.
Tavis Smiley is a broadcaster, author, publisher, advocate, and philanthropist. He is currently the host of the late-night television talk show Tavis Smiley on PBS as well as the
The Tavis Smiley Show and co-host of
Smiley and West, which he co-hosts with Dr. West.
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| With Julian B. Kiganda, President of Vibrant Design Group |
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Flag parade
Miata Jambawai talking about how HIV/AIDS affects Sierra Leone |
During the Rally, there were a few countries and U.S. states represented with flags on stage to talk about how their region is affected by this epidemic. I was surprised but happy to see the Sierra Leone flag on stage because it shows that my nation is making HIV/AIDS awareness a priority and making strides towards its end. Representing Sierra Leone was Miata Jambawai, Country Program Manager at AIDS Healthcare Sierra Leone. She came all the way from Freetown for this occasion and will be in DC all week for AIDS 2012. It was a pleasure speaking with her, and I was honored to have carried the Sierra Leone flag during the March with her by my side.
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| Member of the rally who asked to take a picture with me |
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| Jenny Boyce has been living with HIV |
Jenny Boyce is a woman from South Africa who has been living with HIV/AIDS. She shared her story of living with HIV over the past decade, and use of lifesaving antiretroviral treatment (ART). She gave a message full of hope, love, support, and spirituality.
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| Video message of Archbishop Desmond Tutu |
Archbishop Desmond Tutu is a Nobel Peace Laureate, and one of the greatest living moral icons of our time who was a key leader in the fight against apartheid in South Africa. He has been very vocal and active towards ending injustices, including the tragedy of HIV/AIDS in his country and around the world. In addition to HIV/AIDS, he has campaigned to fight against tuberculosis, poverty, racism, sexism, and many more.
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| With mom, friend's niece, and friend |
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| With my friend, Rolanda |
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| With my mom and friend |
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA next to the AIDS Memorial Quilt display |
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| A very hot and beautiful day in DC |
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| Trying to keep my eyes open for the photo |
One of the reasons why I was very proud to have been part of this event is that I got to talk to people about my country, Sierra Leone, due to lots of people asking what my crown and title is for. Some people knew of Sierra Leone, some had never heard of it, and some have heard of it but did not know much. It was great giving them a geography brief about my Republic. A comical moment was when some people thought I was Miss America, and would yell "I love your crown, Miss America!" "You look beautiful, Miss America!" "There she is, Miss America!" "Let's see the wave, Miss America!" I smiled about it when I heard, but I tried correcting some about my title if I had a chance. Many people asked to take pictures with me, and I tried my best to keep my eyes open in the pictures because it was really hot and the sun was shining brightly.
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA Photo op for Dab the AIDS Bear Project |
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| Ambassador Andrew Young giving his speech |
Ambassador Andrew Young is a civil rights leader, ordained minister, former U.S. Congressman, former mayor of Altanta (Georgia) and former United Nations Ambassador. He spoke about his experience as a diplomat and the importance of the global fight against AIDS and why must all "Keep the Promise" on HIV/AIDS.
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| Photo op |
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA Photo op for CodePink |
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| Photo op for CodePink |
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA in front of the Washington Monument |
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| Rev. Al Sharpton giving his speech |
Reverend Al Sharpton is a civil rights leader and a prolific advocate for the rights and freedoms of the disenfranchised. Known for his work for the betterment of the African American community, Rev. Sharpton's speech talked about the glaring injustice of HIV/AIDS, which disproportionately affects communities of color. He talked about how political and faith-based leadership is essential in the fight against AIDS, and how Churches and faith-based organizations in the United States hold the power to unite communities and to help bring an end to this deadly epidemic.
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA wearing Boshok Clothing |
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| Photo op for CodePink |
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| Wyclef Jean rocked the stage! |
One of the highlights was Wyclef Jean's performance, and I feel strongly to speak for all that he gave us some great entertainment. He gave us some classics and newbies, and his performance was a blast from start to finish. Something I especially loved about Wyclef's performance was seeing Dr. Cornel West dance, it was great seeing a more relaxed and fun side of him. He's actually got some great moves, but Tavis Smiley shied away from dancing and did a few moves at the corner of the stage. Thank you Wyclef for letting me witness that moment!
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| Wyclef Jean's performance at the Rally |
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| Wyclef Jean performing during the Rally |
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Umbrellas were out because of the hot sun
Everyone got a free umbrella |
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| Getting ready for the March to start |
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| The Green, White, and Blue flying high in the sky |
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| The U.S. flag leading the March |
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Miss Sierra Leone USA marching with Miata on the streets of DC with the
Sierra Leone flag |
Overall, I thought this was a fantastic event and I took so many lessons from it. Personally, I would have love to have seen and heard more women on stage speaking about the epidemic, as keynote speakers. I think women's perspectives need to be heard about this epidemic and how it affects women personally and also with regards to family and professional life. Do you know that women constitute more than half of all people living with HIV/AIDS globally, and that women are at least twice as likely to acquire HIV from men during sexual intercourse than vice versa? For women in their reproductive years (15-49), HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death globally, and women in Sub-Saharan Africa constitute 59% of all people living with HIV/AIDS (
The Foundation of AIDS Research). These are some of the reasons why I felt the need to have been part of Sunday's Rally and March, and also why more women's voices need to be heard!
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| Miss Sierra Leone USA proudly carrying the Sierra Leone flag |
I would have also love to have seen and heard the perspective of someone living with HIV/AIDS that is under 30 years old. HIV/AIDS is very relevant to the younger generation and I want people to know that those born after 1990 are not immune to it. Another perspective I wanted to have heard at the the rally was someone who is related/taking care of in some way to someone living with HIV/AIDS. The perspective of HIV/AIDS caregivers is very important
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Miss Sierra Leone USA with Miata Jambawai at the end of the March
Check out the guy behind me who creeped on our picture. lol |
Get tested. Know your status. Know your partner's status. Safety first at all times. Prevention is the only cure for HIV/AIDS. Speak up. Speak out!
P.S: Special thanks to my mom, friend, friend's niece for being there with me throughout the Rally and March, regardless of how long and hot the day was. I love you all.
Ruby B. Johnson
Your Miss Sierra Leone USA
Congratulations again Ruby. I'm loving your blog:-)
ReplyDeleteWoohoo! Thank you so much! :)
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