B lack H istory M
PageAIO
onth
February 9. 2005
Taking Contr
con tin u ed
E d w a r d s s a id
HIV and AIDS tund-
tng is im portant in
th is c o u n try an d
sh e b e lie v e s th e
fro m E ront
sick. I'm in pain ... but I d o n 't let it
stop m e,” Edw ards said.
Through her disease. E dw ard’s
outlook on her future has changed. governm ent w ill slow ly com e to
"I d o n ’t ever really set long-term realize that m ore and more.
goals. I alw ays work as though
“I think so m any people think
they’re short-term goals. My big that it c a n ’t happen to them and it
gest goal is to start a non-profit for w o n ’t, esp ec ially if fin an cially
women and children w ho are af th ey ’re in a h igher class,” she said.
fected. Four m onths after 1 started “ It could happen to the president,
going to an agency, they shut down. it could happen to his daughter.
Because H1V has al w ay s been called M oney is being cut but the way the
a gay m an’s disease, that’s who disease has infected the country,
they cater to. It's hard to netw ork they ’re going to have to give m oney
/ encourage people to get
tested. I went sick fo r about six
months before I knew what was
wrong with me.
- Cherrell Edwards on living with HIV
with people when you can barely
pick a woman out o f the crow d.”
E dw ards w as o n ly re c e n tly
added onto the HIV Stops W ith Me
Cam paign as a w om an because the
idea was geared initially toward gay
men. However, it’s becom e more
apparent that this epidem ic is af
flicting everyone. A mistaken blood
transfusion, forced sexual activity,
or being bom with HIV can mean
life or death, regardless o f race or
sex.
because they w o n ’t be able stop it
if they d o n ’t prevent it. It’s going to
hit people so hard that th e y ’re go
ing to have to w ake up an d start
taking charge. Som etim es you have
to suffer to overcom e som ething
and I think th a t’s w hat it’s going to
have to take for o u r co u n try .”
H IV A llian c e.o rg d e fin e s the
Human Immunodeficiency Virus, or
HIV, as som ething that attacks the
im m une system that usually fights
infection. HIV kills and dam ages
cells that help the body fight infec
tion and certain cancers. A fter the
im m une system breaks dow n, A c
q uired Im m une D eficiency S y n
drom e, or A ID S, m arks the m ost
advanced stages o f an HIV infec
tion.
W hile unprotected sex is the most
com m on w ay that H IV is spread,
oth er w ays are by sharing drugs,
needles or syringes or having sex
with som eone w ho has not be tested
fo r th e d is e a s e . R e se a rc h h as
proven that you can n o t get the
virus through saliva, kissing, sh ar
ing food utensils o r o th er casual
contact. H IV is found only in four
fluids; blood (including m enstrual
blood), sem en, vaginal fluids and
breast milk.
A ccording to A v ert.o rg, there
w ere 2,586 people living in O regon
with HIV or AIDS. HIVAlliance.org
states that only o n e-h alf to one-
third o f people know th eir H IV sta
tus, so the num bers becom e stag
gering and grow higher if the d is
ease is spread by som eone unknow
ingly. M ore than h a lf o f new H IV
infections in the U nited States are
am ong youth betw een the ages o f
15 and 24.
T hink taking a vitam in in the
photo by
K atherine K ovach h /T he P ortland O bserver
Cherrell Edwards reads from a creative writing book required for
class on the Portland Community College Sylvania Campus.
m orning is difficult to rem em ber?
T he average n um ber o f pills a per
son living w ith H IV o r A ID S has to
take a day is 30. Still, cuts to p re
scription drug coverage have m ade
is difficult for clients to get m ed ica
tions for HIV.
E dw ards said that so far, she
h asn ’t taken any m edication for
H IV , but she does for the chronic-
pain she has from the disease. She
also experiences a lot o f fatigue and
lack o f energy.
Rates in the black com m unity are
increasing all the time, Edwards said.
“ If people w ere secure with their
sexuality and it w as em braced by
th eir com m unity and fam ilies, then
rates w ould decrease.” She belie ves
that if people felt com fortable with
their bodies and w hat they did with
them , th e y ’d be com fortable with
protecting them selves and being
honest w ith their partners.
Part o f the stigm a in the black
com m unity is also tow ard gay black
men. “W hen a black man is gay, it’s
a lot m ore d ifficu lt,” she said. “It’s
not em braced in o u r culture be
cause o f religion. Black men already
have to w ork hard to prove that
they are as m uch o f a m an as a w hite
m an is - they have to do so m uch to
be respected. So w hen he says h e’s
gay, I d o n ’t think h e ’s looked at as
m uch as a man as he was before.”
E d w a rd s sa id th e m o st im p o r
ta n t th in g to re m e m b e r is to look
a fte r y o u rs e lf first.
“ I a lm o st w ish p e o p le co u ld
see so m e o n e g o th ro u g h th a t sick
s ta g e ,” E d w a rd s said . “ I t’s not
so m e th in g th a t y o u c a n ’t p re
v e n t. D o n ’t tr u s t a n y o n e b u t
y o u rse lf. E v e ry o n e h as a secret
th a t th e y d o n ’t p la n to tell a n y
o n e. I f y o u ’re a lw a y s tru stin g
y o u r s e lf y o u ’re n o t a llo w in g
o th e r p e o p le to d ic ta te y o u r fu
tu re. It d o e s n ’t ta k e h av in g fiv e
o r 10 p a rtn e rs. It ta k e s o n e tim e
w ith o n e p a rtn e r. It m ay be th a t
o n e tim e w h en y o u d o n ’t h av e
p ro te c te d sex th a t y o u can g et
in f e c te d .”
People at Wallowa Lake don't wear lederhosen.
They don't yodel either - except during the
yearly Alpenfest - but the jagged snow-covered
peaks of the Wallowa Mountains and the clear
glacial lake do bear a strong resemblance to
the Swiss Alps. And it is one of the finest
vacation spots in all of Oregon.
Located just outside the town of Joseph, at the
intersection of the Eagle Cap Wilderness and
the mouth of Hells Canyon, Wallowa Lake offers
some of Oregon's finest hiking, camping and
fishing. One of the best ways to enjoy it is at
Wallowa Lake State Park.
Surrounded by 9,000-foot peaks on three sides
Wallowa Lake State Park is one of Oregon's
most beautiful and best equipped state parks.
There are campsites, cabins, and yurts as well
as boat launches and a marina. Quiet, peaceful
and rustic, Wallowa Lake State Park is a great
place to get back to nature.
A ll across the state, Lottery p ro fits help
maintain state parks like Wallowa Lake and
keep them open to the public. In fact, Lottery
profits help support all 230 Oregon state parks.
The ones you know and the ones you don't.
—
Over $ I ^3 million in Lottery profits has gone to Oregon state parks since ¡999-
Lottery profits also support education, job creation and watershed enhancement projects across the state
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H i <
Lottery games are based on cha« te o«d should be played fo r entertainment only.
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