Charlotte celebrates World AIDS Day
CHARLOTTE – Several events in the Charlotte community marked the 20th anniversary of the first World AIDS Day Monday and helped to support those who are living with HIV/AIDS.
Dee Dee Richardson of Charlotte, who said she has been living with HIV for 15 years, was there to raise awareness.
“People need to hear our stories because we go to sleep with this virus. We wake up with this virus. We eat, we work, we do everything around this virus,” Richardson said.
Charlotte Bobcats center Emeka Okafor said he is also trying to help as the problem in Africa is still bad. He said He traveled to Africa last year and saw the devastation caused by AIDS.
“One Million African Lives initiative is a pledge to help save one million African lives,” Okafor said. “I started Safe Blood for Africa in 1999 because I did a trip to Africa and I basically saw a holocaust going on.”
Amy Brooks of the Regional AIDS Interfaith Network said the problem is also local.
“There’s not as much support as there once was in terms of public awareness and in terms of prevention,” Brooks said. “We are still struggling to stop the spread of this disease.”