We Never Forget About our Brothers & Sisters Across the River

On Sunday June 8, 2008, AACAA MPH Student, Andrella Smith of Howard University, spent several hours representing the organization by conducting outreach to the Anacostia community in the Southeast section of Washington, DC. This outreach project was a big success in large part because the vast majority of residents reached were unaware how serious the HIV and AIDS epidemic is here in the District. Many expressed shock and outrage about the staggering rates of infection in the District while others simply refused to believe that as many as 1 in 20 persons in the District are HIV positive. The outreach project took place in the neighborhoods immediately surrounding the Anacostia Metro Station We fielded questions from and distributed free condoms to as many 150 people.

Many people believe that the organization is doing an excellent job for this community and expressed concerns about the need for more HIV and AIDS prevention-based projects in the area. Other were grateful for AACAA's work observing that too often people forget about he Anacostia community. Overall, Anacostia residents are eager to learn about the HIV and AIDS epidemic and how it is affecting the lives of both men and women, young and old of color.