The Social Justice Alliance hosted ‘Spread Hope Not Hate: End the Stigma’ Thursday, Dec. 6 in the Kramer Tallgrass room to help spread the knowledge of AIDS Awareness month.
The event centered mostly around the showing of the 2007 movie “Life Support” with movie treats. The movie, starring Queen Latifa, is a real-life recount of a mother with an addiction to crack. Throughout the movie, she transforms into a positive role model and becomes an AIDS activist in the black community.
Ashley Arnold, the co-programming chair of the Social Justice Alliance, said the purpose of the event is to spread awareness about HIV and AIDS. The alliance hopes to stop the stigma about these diseases and to normalize getting tested for sexually transmitted diseases.
The event focused a lot on information in addition to the movie. At the end of the event, they encouraged attendees to pick up flyers on their way out with information.
HIV, which is the precursor disease to AIDS, is a sexually transmitted disease that can be passed by sharing bodily fluids with an infected person who is not on treatment. While sex is a way the disease is passed, it can also be shared via needle, through childbirth or breastfeeding. It is also transmittable via blood transfusions, but American hospitals and blood banks screen for HIV so the risk is very small.
The spread of HIV and AIDS can be prevented by practicing safe sex like using condoms and getting tested. Students at Kansas State can get tested at Lafene Health Center and appointments can be made through myLafene, the personalized patient portal, or you can call and schedule one at (785) 532-6544.
Join the Social Justice Alliance at their open meetings held every third Wednesday of the month from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Multicultural Student Lounge, or Kramer 158.
