On July 24th, 2008 National Public Radio aired a commentary titled “Sex Without A Condom is the new Engagement Ring”. As the author of the piece, I received a lot of feedback, some positive- some negative- but all centered on the topics of sex, relationships, and the devastation of communities due to sexually transmitted diseases. I wrote the piece in effort to shed light on a current trend I had noticed: in the midst of conversations with friends and associates on the subject matter of unprotected sex, the topics of commitment and monogamy were strongly intertwined; the connection between these concepts was so convincing that I was moved to document my findings.

CNN recently published an article titled “Report: Black U.S. AIDS Rates Rival some African Nations”. The report brought a barrage of statistics into the light as a result of the research conducted by the Black AIDS Institute. As I read this piece in the Charles R. Drew dormitory on the campus of Howard University in Washington DC, one portion of the piece resonated within me – the statement that, “In Washington, more than 80 percent of HIV cases are among black people. That’s one in 20 residents.” This is an astounding number; an idea so influential I had to take it from my computer screen and into the world with me.

From Howard University ’s campus to the Safeway grocery store in uptown, a ten minute push up Georgia Avenue , I walk past a number of beautiful African-American sisters. Some of the women smile, some of the women say hi, and one or two might even engage in a conversation; just as natural as the act of socializing comes to me, the voice in my head is naturally reciting those resonating ratios.

They say that marriage is the greatest risk and the greatest reward- but to a generation of kids who are a product of the “baby momma era”, where homes are not broken for they were never fully constructed, marriage is but a mirage. Stats show that 50 percent of marriages in the United States end in divorce, and stats also show that 50 percent of individuals infected with HIV/AIDS are African American. Furthermore, stats show that an overwhelming majority of African Americans believe statistics are yet another mirage. Within the findings of any research there will be outliers. My article about the sexual habits of young adults in America does not represent the total population, and the reports on HIV/ AIDS, just like any survey, is also subject to its margin of error. Yet, both articles deal with the undeniable fact that health care for all Americans, not just those of African descent, is an area where not only are our governing bodies failing us; we, as individuals, are failing our bodies. The irony is that the lack of regular check ups in lower income residences and the overwhelming amounts cosmetic plastic surgery in high income residences end in the same result- self destruction. We as individuals, we as the people, and we as the United States government need to focus our collective energy and resources on the medical field- medical attention is needed.
—Pendarvis Harshaw