AACAA Board Members Dionne Fraser and Felicia Gordon handed out 5000 condoms on a balmy Saturday afternoon. Harlem is our usual destination for outreach (though our next outreach will be in Brooklyn in August). We began our outreach on 125th Street and Lennox Avenue, ground zero of Harlem. This intersection is well traveled and truly represents the future and past of Harlem, with a Starbucks to prove it. We discussed the ramifications of this epidemic with passers-by and music bootleggers. Many individuals were shy about taking condoms, which we found surprising but when we discussed statistics and not being shy about taking care of oneself, they often became emboldened.
The saddest moment came when a young man approached us and said "I wish you had been giving these out 15 months ago." When we asked why he said it was because he just had a daughter. He was 19 years old! We taken aback and the sadness and regret in his eyes won't be easy to forget. The black community remains vibrant and beautiful. This outreach was pure pleasure, despite the blazing heat. We only wish that we could reach more young people.
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