The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), in partnership with the Act against AIDS Leadership Initiative, offered free HIV testing at the Gordon Health Center on the campus of Saint Augustine’s University on Wednesday, Sept. 26. In addition to the free testing, award-winning author and filmmaker Tina McElroy Ansa, the author of, “You Know Better,” which addresses promiscuity in young women, hosted a breakfast with student leaders as well as a book signing.
The book signing took place on Wednesday, September 26, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Prezell R. Robinson Library. The event included a survey of over 250 students, faculty and staff to test their knowledge of how to contract HIV, how to prevent HIV and how to treat it.
Act against AIDS is a five-year national campaign launched by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the White House to combat complacency about HIV and AIDS in the United States. Launched in 2009, Act against AIDS focuses on raising awareness among all Americans and reducing the risk of infection among the hardest-hit populations – gay and bisexual men, African Americans, Latinos, and other communities at increased risk.
“Our goal is to educate our members, constituents and communities about HIV,” said Pam Chapman, project manager for NOBLE. “It’s very important for everyone to know their status. [If you test positive] Once you get medicines and stay on that course, you can prolong your life.”
With the assistance of its 57 chapters, NOBLE provides HIV/AIDS education and outreach to communities across the nation. Additional activities include conducting workshops on HIV/AIDS as it relates to corrections and criminalization at the national and regional membership conventions; and through integrating Act against AIDS and other HIV prevention messages into community forums held at universities and other law enforcement focused events.
–SAU Office of Marketing and Communication