Selena was only 16 years old when she discovered that she was
infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). It seems that all the
odds were against her. She’s a black woman, young, and grew up on the South Side
of Chicago. She was raised in a single-family home with only her mother and a
younger brother who was five years younger. Her mother did the best she could
as a single-parent. Unfortunately, she had to work two jobs to support the
children. One job was at a daycare during the day, and the other was at a
restaurant during the night. While she worked at the daycare, Selena
responsibility was to make sure her brother got to school on time, help him
with his homework, and to stay out of trouble.
However, when Selena turned 14 years old, she
started dating. It was at this point when things started to fall apart for her.
Her boyfriend was a 16 years old dropout. At 15 years old, she got pregnant and
gave birth to a daughter. Her boyfriend sold drugs to support her and the baby.
Unfortunately, he was not committed to the relationship, and this was not
his only child.
Half of HIV infections occur in the people under
the age of 25. Many young men sell drugs because it is fast money, and they can
make at least a $1,000 within a couple days, rather than finding a minimum wage
job. Even though African American’s and other black communities only make up 12
percent of the United State’s population, these communities make up 44 percent
of all new HIV infections.
In the future, to help prevent cases like
Selena, we need to educate the youth on how to protect themselves from
contracting HIV and STI’s. This issue is not easy because there are many
factors that contribute to this epidemic, such as disproportionate incarceration
rates and poverty. There are many Selena’s in the United States whose voices
have not been heard and are unconsciously spreading this disease. As Black
women, each and every one of us can play a role in helping to stop this disease
from spreading further.
