From Africa to America: HIV in the African Diaspora

By Aneesah
Dryver

The African Arts Society in collaboration with UC Berkeley’s Black Students in Health Association recently hosted “From Africa to America: HIV in the African Diaspora”  an event chronicling the journey of the HIV virus and its immense impact, in the Martin Luther King, Jr., Student Union.
Panelists at the event included, Rhonda White-Warner, Director of East Oakland HIV Project, Gloria Cox-Crowell, Director of Allen Temple Baptist Church AIDS Ministry, and Jesse Brooks, HIV activist. Other panelists included the HIV Education Prevention Project of Alameda County, Nana Nti of 510 Media, Alex Williams of Downtown Youth Clinic, Naina Khanna, Policy Director of Positive Women’s Network and Destiny Dixon, a UC Berkeley student and poet.
Panelists discussed the challenges of educating people of the African Diaspora about the prevention and treatment of the virus. They presented ways in which art and social media can help communities grow to understand the virus and how it affects them.
Nana Nti, a panelist speaking about the book, That Could Be Me, said “the book is uniquely created to imitate the Internet, whereas it is so visually heavy, drawing you in. You can’t help but absorb the messages,” he said. “When I first started this project, I looked as HIV as a problem, but not a high priority for me. Being a straight male I thought, some straight males get it, but it’s not really my issue. my world. After going through the project, I realized that it is the most powerful project that I’ve ever been experienced in my whole life.”
When the documentary  “Out of Control: AIDS in Black America” was shown, Josephine Ayankoya, a fifth-year UC Berkeley student majoring in African American Studies said, “the film shows that HIV education needs to start with school aged children, who are not infected. Once they learn prevention they can take it to their friends and teach them and families.” Josephine also recited a poem entitled “Sheena is a champ”, which describes how Sheena meets her match with HIV.
Cal student Destiny Dixon, recited the poem, “Tired of the Same Poem”, a message poem that challenged the audience to take the event’s information back to their neighborhoods and to  create their own poetry writings promoting awareness and education of HIV.