Emmy award winning AIDS activist Rae Lewis-Thornton will be the guest speaker for the observance of World AIDS Day.
The event, “Catching, Coping and Conquering: The Fight Against HIV/AIDS,” will be held Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. in Doyne Auditorium on the campus of the University of Central Arkansas. The speech is free and open to the public.
The University of Central Arkansas Chapter of Keep a Child Alive and The Lambda Upsilon Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. are hosting the event.
AIDS has claimed the lives of more than 28 million people. About 15 million children have lost one or both parents to the disease, said Shanna McCormick, president of the UCA chapter of Keep a Child Alive. Keep a Child Alive is a national non-profit organization that focuses on providing anti-retro viral medicines to children and their families who suffer from AIDS in 8 sites in 5 different countries in Africa and India.
“Every year on December 1st, AIDS organizations around the world host awareness programs so that those who have lost their lives from the disease will not be forgotten,” McCormick said.
Lewis-Thornton learned at the age of 23 that she was HIV positive after donating blood for the American Red Cross. She rose to the national spotlight in 1994 when she shared her story about living with AIDS in a cover story for Essence magazine. Since then, Lewis-Thornton has traveled the world challenging stereotypes and myths about HIV and AIDS.
“It means a lot to have Rae Lewis-Thornton on the campus of UCA to speak about HIV/AIDS,” McCormick said. “She is a notable Emmy award winning AIDS activist who has AIDS and what better way to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS than to have someone come and tell their story.”
McCormick hopes people will leave the event with a better understanding about HIV/AIDS.
“I would hope that people will leave there knowing how important it is to protect themselves from this disease, especially young people since 60% of new infections occur in people under the age of 24,” she said.
Lewis-Thornton won an Emmy award for an ongoing series of first-person reports on living with AIDS. She has been featured in numerous magazines, news programs and documentaries on the topic. She was named one of America
