Today
December 1, 2013 marks the 25th
Anniversary of World AIDS Day. We have lived with the reality of AIDS for
so long, that there are many people who don't even remember a time without the
devastation of AIDS. As a child who came of age in the 60's & 70's – this
was the era of experimentation and "anything goes." As a result many,
many people experimented with some aspect of the "goodies" of the
era. This runs the gamut from both legal mind-altering substances like wine and
"hard liquor" to illegal drugs, such as: weed, hash, angel dust,
psychedelic drugs - (including mescaline, LSD-25 or acid in all its forms
{blotter, black acid, orange sunshine, etc.}, THC, cocaine, and the MONSTER of them all
King Heroin!
Growing
up in Englewood, NJ, (in Bergen County), 5 minutes from NYC - presented an
exciting opportunity as well as a sad negative reality for my generation. At a
young age folks started hanging in NYC - often in Harlem. All of the exciting
places and happenings of NYC were readily available to us (only a bus away);
but on the negative side so were the drugs. Heroin distribution was targeted in
the Black community, so Harlem was a heroin dealer’s playpen. You could easily
"cop" a bag of "dope"- (heroin) all over the area; and
"shooting galleries" - spots where people got high were plentiful.
Additionally, Bergen County was an area targeted for heroin distribution, and
this was even mentioned in the film- American Gangster.
So many
people of my generation started out experimenting for fun and wound up paying
the ultimate price. It hit home for me and my family at an early stage -
when I was 15 years old, my beloved brother Billy Tinsley, a nationally
recognized, star basketball player, died tragically from a heroin overdose at
the tender age of 17 years old. A video remembering and honoring his legacy by
a former basketball coach was created by Sam Lee and can be viewed at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SR2OR_yw-bo
Although
his death deeply shocked and affected our family and community, and may have
deterred some people; others were already to deep into the drug addiction path
to stop. Some thought it was still was a "party" and unfortunately,
they stayed at the party too long. I am so thankful because there but for the grace of God goes I. In high school I remember reciting the poem/rap King Heroin by James Brown from memory.
(King Heroin for those unfamiliar with
it)
Then
along comes AIDS. Whew!!! It devastated our little community - and many of our
former classmates and peers died from this deadly "man-made disease" -
(which in my humble opinion, I believe without a shadow of a doubt, was
man-made from the start). We have lost so many people in my community,
throughout our country and throughout the world to this disease. Entire major
cities and surrounding suburban towns throughout the US, and countries
throughout the world have been devastated, and many countries in Africa have
been wiped out. We have lost some of the best, brightest, talented, intelligent, insightful,
artistic, funny, good people to this disease! On a national and international
level, we have also lost some of the most talented, creative, artistic geniuses to
this disease. I have attended many funerals over the last 30 years of people
who died from this horrible disease. I even remember attending funerals
before the name "AIDS" was even coined - and folks said the person
died from a problem with their immune system. (We barely knew what an immune
system was at that time).
Well,
here we are 25 years after World AIDS Day was started. I have been deeply
touched by the lives of those who perished in this disease. I first saw the AIDS Memorial Quilt almost 20 years ago and I was moved to tears. For more info on the AIDS Memorial Quilt and the Names Project:
http://www.aidsquilt.org/about/the-aids-memorial-quilt
http://www.aidsquilt.org/about/the-aids-memorial-quilt
Fortunately, people
are now "living with AIDS" instead of dying with AIDS. I am thankful
for the friends I know and people I have met who are living with the disease
and are comfortable sharing their story to enlighten others. As an
educator, I have worked with many students over the years that have lost their
parents, and some even grandparents to this disease. In many communities, both in NJ
and throughout the country, it is unfortunately common for young children to no
longer have a mother or father alive. As an educator I was fortunate to serve
on a panel several years ago on World AIDS Day at Bank Street Graduate School
of Education in NYC (my Alma mater) as an educator who has created curricula
material to teach about AIDS. As an educator, when I see a need, I feel a personal
responsibility to address it. This was the inspiration and motivation that led
me to write: Me and My Grandma – A story for children about AIDS. Copies
are available at: www.htinsley.com/publications
I acknowledge those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives to drug and AIDS. I give the highest honor and respect to those who have carried on the job of raising the children who lost their parents. I also honor those who are HIV positive or have AIDS who have suffered the shame, embarrassment, fear and abandonment of your friends and loved ones (especially in the early days of his disease). What affects one of us, affects all of us!
Know your
status, make wise choices and always protect yourself!
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