Oregon: The New Face of HIV Brings Her Story Home

On Wednesday, National HIV Testing Day, several black-run HIV/AIDS groups will rally in Portland to encourage people to learn more about HIV and know their serostatus. The campaign, "My Friend with AIDS Is Still My Friend," kicks off at 5 p.m. at Portland Community College-Cascade Campus, 705 N. Killingsworth St. The free rally will include entertainment and food.

"You may not like it, but we need to talk about it so that people affected by this disease feel like they have some kind of support," said Kathleen Saadat, diversity director for the Cascade AIDS Project. "We need to reduce the stigma so people are not afraid to get tested, to find out whether they're positive or not so we can protect ourselves and the ones we love."

Cherrell Edwards, who was raised in North Portland, increasingly represents the new demographic of the epidemic: She is young, black, female, and heterosexual. The creator of the nonprofit www.collectivecareservices.org, Edwards travels the country telling youths how to protect themselves from HIV. She is featured in the national www.hivstopswithme.org campaign and recently appeared on the "Montel Williams Show" to talk about the negative consequences of teen sex.

For more information about Wednesday's event, telephone 503-223-5907.

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