Speakers Discuss HIV Awareness
by Hannah Elnan

On Wednesday, Nov. 28, members of the Massachusetts Asian AIDS Prevention Project gave a presentation to a small group of Oberlin students. It was the first of a series of events for HIV Awareness Week. The only organization of its kind in New England, MAAPP addressed the issue of HIV and AIDS in the Asian Pacific Islander community.
The first presenter, Michael Soo Hoo, graduated from Oberlin College in 1989 and now heads a MAAPP program geared towards gay men. He discussed the plight of AIDS on a global spectrum and its future presence and significance in the API community. “Now there are 35 million cases of AIDS in the world; 25 percent of those are in Asia,” he said. “Do you know what that means for the future?”
In a presentation entitled “Finding Our Lost Sisters,” Phuongmai Nguyen, MAAPP’s women’s health coordinator, discussed her experiences working with API women. She expressed the mission of her program as “uniting Asian women, increasing their self-efficacy and helping them obtain healthcare for themselves and their families.” She emphasized her desire to achieve this goal in a culturally sensitive way, questioning stereotypes, providing support and creating a space for Asian women to speak.
Soo Hoo learned from the audience that currently, hardly any members of the College community openly admit to being HIV Positive. He explained the degree to which things seem to have changed on campus since he graduated, in which he recalled witnessing both students and faculty members publicly announce their illness.

“20 Years: Coming of Age with HIV” is the theme of this year’s HIV Awareness Week. Its intention is to create a diverse coalition of groups who can meet in order to coordinate their individual efforts in preparation for World AIDS Day on Dec. 1.
Various other events are planned for the week, including free, confidential HIV testing, safer sex workshops and HIV-related movies. Arts events include exhibits, films, a benefit concert on Saturday night featuring Oberlin alumni and a performance of Tony Kushner’s play, Angels in America. Several other events intended as a way of honoring AIDS victims will also take place, including a reading of names of those who have died and the creation of a memorial quilt.
A complete listing of the week’s activities at Oberlin and in the greater Cleveland area can be found at www.oberlin.edu/~cao.
November 30
December 6

site designed and maintained by jon macdonald and ben alschuler :::