HIV and the Youth

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.