Have you ever sat next to someone at a game who knew absolutely NOTHING about basketball? Every play they were like a 3 year-old asking, “but why . . .” That’s what I felt like on this trip: clueless, but very interested. Every question I raised brought yet another one to be answered. I felt empowered by the small amount of information I have gained, and with this newly found knowledge comes a privilege and a responsibility to share that with you!! I want you to join with me in this very serious competition that I have recently engaged as a player in: the Game of Eliminating AIDS. Before we begin, I must warn you—it is not your normal game, the setting is real and the stakes are life and death!

Starting line up:

Your first question may be: why should you even be a participant in this game? If a moral conviction isn’t enough to get you signed up, then please note that bad guys have an increasingly negative effect on the global economy and that this pandemic and other related global health issues are continuing to grow at an alarming rate: every day 8,500 people die from AIDS and there are 13,000 newly infected people.

Before we go any farther, I must ask you to do one thing: you must eliminate all misconstrued ideas you might have about our opposition. AIDS is not a disease that only targets promiscuous women, a specific sexual orientation, or drug users. It is the #1 killer in the USA for young African American Women. Testing HIV positive is not a death sentence! Through Anti Retroviral drugs (ARVS), HIV positive people are able to live normal lives. There are 40 million infected HIV positive people around the world, but what you may have failed to realize is how many people are affected by this disease. By 2010, more than 20 million children will be orphaned by AIDS worldwide!

Just like any winning team, we must all work together. Yes, there are some players that are more talented—we can’t all be the “Michael Jordan” of battling this complex opponent, but that doesn’t make our individual contributions any less significant.

As you are debating whether to join our team, you may be wondering what your role is going to be. If you are approaching this competition from a corporate perspective, I strongly encourage you to check out the GBC—it is a coalition that skillfully joins public and private partnerships to produce the maximum influence possible. If you are wondering how one person can make a difference, there are numerous ways you can get involved. You can support the Red Campaign—where a percentage of profits from companies like: Motorola, GAP, MAC, American Express, and many more will be donated toward the Global Fund. You can participate in local AIDS walks to raise support. If you are passionate about one specific area (ex: orphaned children), then find a local or global non-profit organization that focuses its efforts in that category.

Just like in the game of basketball, we all must be educated and aware of the rules by which we are playing. I strongly encourage everyone to know their HIV status. When it comes to this game—ignorance and disinterest are deadly risks to take. Knowledge is not only an empowering resource that allows us to unify in our strategic approach to this fatal opponent, it also allows us to recruit more people to strengthen our team. With all this being said, the ball is now in your court . . . . please don’t stand on the sidelines anymore, we need you in the game!!!