Kenyon Farrow to come to OU to advocate for HIV/AIDS prevention

education
Hannah Debenham | For The Post

From social injustice to a lack of education, HIV and AIDS are caused by more than just sexual
irresponsibility.
Wednesday, the Multicultural and LGBT Centers will host activist Kenyon Farrow to speak for
Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, which is Friday.
Farrow said he plans to discuss why HIV and AIDS are more than just a medical problem but is
also a problem of social injustice. HIV and AIDS are seen in higher numbers in areas that have
fewer resources and high poverty rates, according to AVERT.
Its more than just about telling people to wear condoms, Farrow said. Were talking about
structural issues that make it difficult for people to maintain their health in a lot of different ways.
Ohio University has been participating in Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day for more than 10
years with speakers ranging from people of all ages with HIV or AIDS to activists.
We want to provide a spectrum for people to understand that the disease is not unique to any
particular group, said Winsome Chunnu-Brayda, the associate director of the Multicultural
Center. It is irrespective of age, race, gender and sexual orientation.
Chunnu-Brayda said the center chose Farrow to speak because of his involvement in AIDS
awareness as an activist and a writer. He is also a member of the executive committee of
Connect 2 Protect New York, an organization whose focus is to reduce HIV and AIDS rates
among young adults, according to a university press release. Farrow speaks about the
intersectionality between race, sexual orientation and HIV/AIDS.
African-Americans, both male and female, disproportionately make up one of the largest
percentages of people in the United States who are affected and infected by HIV, along with gay
and bisexual men, according to AVERT, an international HIV and AIDS awareness group. There
are about 1.1 million people living with HIV in the U.S. and one in five of these are unaware of
their infection, according to AIDS.gov.
One of the fastest growing populations for infection of HIV and AIDS is the black community,
said Delfin Bautista, director of the LGBT Center. (Its) still an issue, its still a reality for many
people. Its something that we need to talk about.
Bautista, Chunnu-Brayda and Farrow said they all agree that education is key to preventing the
spread of HIV and AIDS.
Through his speech, Farrow said he hopes to inform students and make them aware of the
realities of HIV and AIDS.

Ending the epidemic of HIV/AIDS is completely possible, Farrow said.