Settling for the Okie-Doke is risking your life! Power in Protection: V7S talks HIV/AIDS Part I

Maintaining your health is a commitment that we hope all V7S women have made. In short it sounds simple to say "I'm going to start living a healthier lifestyle" but we all know that with verbal commitment comes action. One of those actions is making yourself knowledgeable about the health concerns that effect us.

After doing more research into the staggering statistic that we have been hearing for years that, HIV/AIDS is a leading cause of death for African American women ages 25-34, (becoming the leading cause in 2007) I found
that this statistic is one that is developed from layers upon layers of social, economical and even political factors, its overwhelmingly complex. The National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors put out an article in May 2008 dissecting the issue. The result of my own dissection is this: More African American women need to recognize and assert their power to make better choices.

Let's talk some facts. Compared to women of other ethnicity's, we are far less likely to be married. This probably comes as a result of the 2.8 million gender gap in our community created mainly by the incarceration and death of black men. Because most of us are unlikely to date outside our race, many are in a sense competing for the affections of the few men left in our communities. The problem is that this often becomes "settling for the okie-doke", or allowing yourself to accept what is less than what you really want and deserve. We are tip toeing around our men. Careful not to say what we think would cause him to make the decision to move on. We have relinquished the power of our femininity and its literally killing us.

Stay tuned for Part II of this series.

Photo Credit: Essence.com