HIV/AIDS patients burdened by emotional baggage of shame

http://www.thegrio.com/2009/09/shamed-to-silence-war-against-hivaids.php

According to data from the CDC, at the end of 2007, blacks accounted for almost half of the 1.1 million people living with HIV in America.

Marline Hines works at New York City's oldest minority AIDS service organization, Faces, where she leads a women's support program called the Asha Project.

Four hundred women have already passed through this program, which aims to help women address the emotional baggage that comes with the virus. The most common feeling? Shame.

"Even in the process of role playing, they can't say it," Hines said. "Even though I'm not their daughter, it's hard for them to just say 'I'm positive.'"

It's that kind of shame and secrecy that filmmaker Claudia Pryor witnessed while making the documentary, Why Us? Left Behind and Dying.

"I learned that our internal secrecy and shame absolutely drives this in our community," Pryor told theGrio in a sit-down interview.

"And probably the biggest thing I learned is that underlying that is a self-hatred and self-denigration that makes us feel that we are unworthy of being projected," Pryor said.

"Why Us?" follows a group of inner-city Pittsburgh students as they investigate why HIV rates are so high in black communities.

The students interviewed leading experts, people with the infection in their neighborhood, and activists, all while having their reactions to the study monitored.

Tamira Noble is the narrator and was one of the students involved in the study. While working on this project, Noble learned that secrets hit close to home.

"I didn't think I knew anyone with HIV, so it wasn't very personal," Noble said. "It became personal when I got involved because then all of these secrets started spilling from my own family. And that's when I found out that I had an uncle that died of HIV/AIDs. His name was Edward. I had never heard of him until I had started on this project. Then I found out one of my cousin also has HIV/AIDs and I wasn't even allowed to know this cousin until I joined this project."

Keeping secrets under wraps is something Hines says is a value the black community has upheld for generations.

"Black people has a culture that is southern, that is old-fashioned," Hines said. "What's said in the house, stays in the house."

But those involved in getting the word out hope that despite this deep-seated tradition, their community will take ownership of their personal safety and get tested.

"Just want people to see the film and get tested," Noble said. "I mean, if everyone could look it and learn something from it that's good. But if people learn from it and get tested then I've accomplished what we were trying to do."

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Category:

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Tags:

• African-American
• AIDS
• documentary
• health
• HIV
• Pittsburgh
• students
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[cisco11049]

Why would you bash Mexicans ? They have nothing to do with this clip or these posts. This video is talking about blacks only, you idiot. Blacks have the highest hiv epidemic. You sound really stupid. I love Mexicans my whole family is Mexican so speak for your self.

[CUTELOONIE01]

@cisco11049 omg do you read how stupid you sound? Im not asian, Im mexican Im speaking for my people and my culture only moron!!!! If asians are secreative about their status idk I just know about my ppl.....wow idiots these days!!!

[cisco11049]

@CUTELOONIE01 So they are the only people who keep secrets ? what are you trying to say ? I'm Asian do we keep secrets too. I can tell you have a low I.Q just by your comments.

[MoreMartyr]

Pray to god that he cured that disease.

[bddblade]

@tbursee Not sure on the organic cocnut water part, but very try on how this virus was man made and targeted on gay and black people! It's pretty fucked up -.-

[IEnjoyElderAbuse]

oi. have ya got aids? lul. shouldn't be discusting then.

[hivquestions]

@Freshhhhh1982 yeah, thats what i used to believe also. but then i was able to see the doctors and scientists interviewed in the new AIDS documentary House of Numbers and they don't all agree with the two types of hiv testing. you would be surprised because these are the people who perform the tests. try to see the film if you can. its going to be on cable tv soon.

[Freshhhhh1982]

@hivquestions The test for HIV typically consists of an ELISA for HIV antibodies but it is always followed up by confirmatory tests such as western blotting, which is extremely specific and not liable to cross reactions.

[hivquestions]

@Freshhhhh1982 there was an article published in 2006 in the New England Journal of Medicine citing 2 studies - one was a man who had a flu shot and then tested hiv positive a week later, then negative another week later - the other was 100 blood donors whose blood was screened and those who had recently received flu shots basically all came up positive for hiv - the hiv test is just 2 proteins, although some countries require 4 proteins, so the test is not standardized.

[Freshhhhh1982]

@hivquestions Could you explain to me how a retrovirus cross reacts with the flu.