Beginning the Movement for Girls

Hello Friends! The Get Free Movement Is Beginning! This movement is called "Get Free" because it attempts to free young African American girls from mental suffering which causes sexual risk behavior, which is linked to the significant increase in HIV/AIDS cases among this group. I am dedicating this post to a letter I've written to generate awareness about this problem and my hopes to help find effective solutions.

the letter...

A movement has begun, beginning with my social, professional and personal circles, to generate awareness of the shameful rates of HIV/AIDS among African American adolescents. I am outraged by the disgraceful silence in the media and in our communities about this issue. We can talk about everything under the sun; we can get on tour busses to Jena for MUCH less (I will never agree otherwise, so bring on the counter comments). Something must be done (no matter how small) to overcome the complete apathy for the lives of our young ladies. Now that HIV/AIDS is no longer considered a white, gay man's disease, have you noticed now many celebrities no longer where red ribbons? Think about it. This disease is no longer in the consciousness of the media, key influencers (celebrities are seen as trendsetters, which is why they're used in endorsements) and this waning of consciousness seems to arrive as record numbers of African American youth are being attacked by HIV/AIDS. Timing. Hmmm.

This April, please join me in wearing purple and pink ribbons locked together (PINK is for the girl babies, PURPLE is a reminder to restore these girls to the Royal Queens that they truly are).

There must be a revival of the passionate movement for more research, better treatment, and a diligent effort to find a cure with the same fervor displayed by Liz Taylor and the plethora of celebs and private organizations a few short years ago. It can happen. And it can come from our communities. The first thing we need is adequate intelligence gathering. Recently I read an article linking depression and HIV/AIDS among young Black girls. I laughed, because I had just done a research paper for my Psychology class on this very issue last semester. My paper went on to suggest that this depression led to increased suicide ideation (which is higher in Black girls than Black boys, who have higher suicide attempts). My hypothesis piggybacks Dr. Alvin Poussaint, who theorized in Lay My Burden Down(if I may paraphrase) that homicides among young black men were actually victim-precipitated homicides as these young men were deliberately placing themselves in life-threatening situations which heightened the likelihood of being shot or killed (gangs, police shootings, etc.).

I believe that young Black girls share this intense desire to die just as young male Black teens do, but manifest the behavior sexually. In order to feel good, Loved, wanted -- to belong to something -- and not end up alone, they were willing to die. And the blue-flame fuel for this sexual risk behavior is that young girls – babies really (ages 11-13) lack the cognitive development to cope or mentally survive in the volatile, unstable environments in which they often end up existing. Therefore, they are lured into improper relationships "doing grown up things with child minds." They also are more likely to experience and endure the horror of sexual and physical abuse that begins the cycle of low self esteem, anger, depression -- suicide ideation -- suicide.

In order to begin the process of healing, extensive research must be conducted to understand this young female mindset, the communities in which she lives, trends in new familial structures (single parent, no parent, live with boyfriend, foster parent, etc.) and an aggressive investigation and exposure of the serious biases in the healthcare system. Research must also include a thorough investigation of the social norms (injunctive and subjective) that guide her life and create an environment for sexual risk behavior.

We must work with medical professionals, teachers, lovers, grandparents, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, politicians, celebrities, police, children, corporations and (fill in the blank), to detect mental illness in our children early and develop EFFECTIVE psychological intervention practices. We’ve got to give these young Queens the courage to Love in spite of their destiny and the self-efficacy to "just say YES" to a condom, when that destiny is just too much to bear. Let's face it, we've got a lot of work to do, so let's start NOW and be about the business of saving our young Black girls, who are the fastest growing group of new HIV/AIDS cases, from complete suicide/genocide.

We’ve got to rewrite the rules. The social norms of mainstream society are not consistent with the history, culture and spiritual evolution of Blacks in America. Until we find ourselves, as Brown girls and women; until we find our purpose; until we find our Love -- we will always seek ourselves outside of OURSELVES.

Join me during the month of April by wearing purple and pink ribbons (pink is for girl babies, purple is a reminder to restore these girls to the royal Queens that they truly are). Choosing to wear these ribbons is just the beginning. Wear them as a reminder to reach out to a young girl; wear them to volunteer wherever you can have a positive affect on a young girl's life; and wear them to encourage talk, talk, talk about this dire problem with everyone you can. If you want to know more about the movement, and how you can participate in this revolution (or just get a ribbon), just reply to this post or email me at ayomanagement@gmail.com. Get Free is real grassroots, but isn't that how most movements begin?