Indiana: "You Need to Be Informed"; Saturday Evening's Event Raised Awareness of HIV and AIDS

The Muncie Public Library-Kennedy branch on Saturday marked National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day with an evening community meeting, where residents discussed the disproportionate impact of the disease among African Americans. Blacks comprise 8.4 percent of the state's population but 29 percent of its HIV/AIDS cases.

Attendees watched "Covers," a film about the sexual secrets partners sometimes harbor that are a health risk for both. Participants also discussed the importance of engaging the entire community about preventing HIV infection and screening for the virus.

"AIDS affects everybody, it doesn't matter what color, race, creed or sex," said Marshonda Bynum, who brought her 15-year-old son so he could learn more about the disease. "Whether you're in Washington, D.C., or Muncie, we need to be educated about this. I wanted to come to this so that I can reach out to other people."

People who have had unprotected sex as well as those who have injected drugs should be tested for HIV, said Bob Jones, administrator for the Delaware County Health Department. He encouraged people to spread the word about testing. "You can't expect the people to come to your office. You go to the people," he said. "We need to try to do anything we can to get the word out and, the really hard part, get people to listen."

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