A Time for Action

Today is World AIDS day. HIV and AIDS are diseases that have had no effect on my immediate life. I've never known or met anyone who has been infected or affected by Aids or HIV - at least, not to my knowledge. I'm not ignorant, but I'm also not actively involved. Yet I am entering a time in my life where I am going to act as a role model and influence for teenagers who will be shouldering the responsibility of AIDS and taking on the challenge to find a cure. I have never been affected by AIDS, but I hope to inspire my students to strive for equity, social justice and change.

Today is World AIDS day and I don't know what to do to help. A classmate of mine spent 2 months last summer teaching high school in Africa, in a school where 70% of the children were AIDS orphans and more than 50% of them were infected themselves. She handed around an AIDS awareness magazine produced by the AIDS club at the school and I was struck by the students' connection between AIDS and God. They didn't believe that God could save them. They didn't believe that God was punishing them - they believed that God would bring light to their lives, despite the challenges they faced. I don't really have a comment on the religious aspect of that (not sure what I believe in) but their spirit -through their writing- was SO inspiring.

We can use Drama to talk about AIDS and HIV. We can talk about fear and we can talk about labels and we can create images and ideas on stage to investigate, to feel and to understand. That's what I love about Drama - it gives students a global education. It allows them to feel things. Please take a minute to feel something about AIDS today, wherever you are in the world and whatever your contribution has or has not been.

I should add - good luck to my handsome and lovely boyfriend tomorrow when writing the LSAT - I believe in you!