On December 3, 2010, The Red Pump Project partnered with Rush University Medical Center Section of Infectious Diseases to host “Behind The RED Curtains: Monologues on HIV” in celebration of World AIDS Day. As many of you may know, World AIDS Day was established in 1988 by The World Health Organization in hopes of raising awareness and encouraging everyone to be responsible, be protected and get tested. Red Pump and Rush Medical Center united this past Friday to do our part for World AIDS day and bring the community together to for the night at the very nice and cozy Room 43 located in Chicago’s Bronzeville area to educate, entertain, and motivate men and about the importance of being aware.

The night began with a delightful reception hour that provided time to mix and mingle with all of the amazing attendees and performers while enjoying hor’derves and beverages. Craig Johnson, Community Health Promoter at Rush Medical Center did a fantastic job of welcoming everyone and introducing the mistress of ceremony, the lovely Dana Divine. Now it was time to get ready for a fantastic show of Personal stories, poems, songs, and monologues. Dana Divine blessed the crowd with her beautiful voice by singing “I Love the Lord” and giving her touch on her health and losing loved one that suffered with AIDS.

The first performer was motivational speaker, Author, and AIDS Activist David Robertson who captivated the audience within few seconds of his performance. Delivering his personal story with such power, passion, and sincerity in such a poetic manner left the crowd speechless and forced to their feet for a standing ovation. Jazz Vocalist Maggie Brown used her lovely voice to deliver a thought provoking original song called simply titled “HIV” over a smooth track that moved the crowd. Then Sister Yaa Simpson, Keith Romell, Sanford Gaylord, and Mama Brenda Matthews used their gifts as spoken word artists and creative activists to bring home the message of taking responsibility for your sexual health, being knowledgeable of HIV/AIDS, and most importantly, that the increasing rate of those suffering and becoming infected AIDS affects us all.

In the midst of it, Red Pump co-founders Luvvie Ajayi and Karyn Watkins spoke about the history of The Red Pump Project. And SAVE THE DATE: The Red Pump Project’s 2nd annual “Rock the Red” fashion show is on March 26, 2011 in Chicago. Details to come.

The night ended with a touching delivery of “I Am Changing” sang by Craig Johnson. Slowly, but surely we are changing the way the world’s views on HIV and those that are infected starting with ourselves. An estimated 1.1 million Americans are living with HIV, and yet one out of five don’t know it. We need your continued support to take action.

The Red Pump Project would like to thank all of you for attending and donating. A portion of the proceeds will go to The Chicago House, the first organization in the Midwest to provide housing for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Thanks!

We’d like to say thanks to our Mistress of Ceremony, Dana Divine. She was hilarious, interesting & fantastic! Our performers were beyond amazing too! We say a huge thanks to our performers for sharing your talents and time with us.

We appreciate you, Sister Yaa Simpson, Maggie Brown, Sanford E. Gaylord, David Robertson, Mama Brenda Matthews and keithrommell!

Special thanks to: Tibotec Therapeutics, Norman Bolden and Room 43, Studio 21, and Rush University Medical Center.

And of course, to the Rush Medical Center Section of Infectious Diseases team who partnered with us to make this event happen, Craig Johnson and Dr. Kimberly Y. Smith, we appreciate this collaboration. You’re doing amazing work, and it was an honor to show what is “Behind the RED Curtains” with your team.

View the slideshow of pictures below. Or check out the Red Pump Facebook page for more pictures!

The post “Behind the Red Curtains” Was Amazing! appeared first on The Red Pump Project.

On July 15, 2010 Winston Salem, North Carolina Ambassador and Miss North Carolina International, Kristie Tobias co-hosted a Say Red Cocktails and Conversations Send Off Party as she prepared to leave for the Miss International Pageant. Kristie went on to capture the title of fourth runner up, which is an amazing feat!

Say Red offered food, fun, dancing, music, and special entertainment by professional artist Andrea Thorne. Guests of the event were also inspired by speaker Thomas Clodfelter, who has been HIV positive for almost 20 years. The Say Red event was incredibly successful and raised over $500 for Positive Wellness Alliance, an HIV/AIDS organization that offers services and support to people infected with and affected by HIV/AIDS through case management, outreach, and prevention.

Kristie “Rocks the Red” in Winston Salem, North Carolina because:

I passionately believe in spreading awareness and education to our community about HIV/AIDS and making sure everyone is capable of staying safe and healthy. As a minority woman, it is especially important to me to make sure my fellow sisters understand that we all need to be accountable for our choices and comprehend the consequences that may occur. We have to start being smarter about every aspect of our lives…”

For Kristie, HIV/AIDS awareness and education is a cause for which she is very passionate. As Miss North Carolina, it is also the basis of her platform entitled One Life to Love. In June 2011 she will be launching her national One Life to Love Leadership and HIV/AIDS Education Conference. Red Pump is very excited about this conference! Stay tuned for more details as they come.

The post Ambassador Spotlight: Kristie Tobias appeared first on The Red Pump Project.

When asked why she “Rocks the Red Pump,” Felisha had this to say:

I “Rock the Red Pump” for me, I have been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS since July of 2005, by a man that knew his status. I “Rock the Red Pump” for those whose journey has ended and for the people that have not found their voice yet.

Since her diagnosis, Felisha has become an HIV/AIDS educator, motivational speaker, and activist. She is also the mother of a one year old. As a Red Pump Ambassador, she recently hosted her first event, Red Pump’s First Annual Rock the RED: Youth Skate Jam. This event was the first of its kind for Red Pump, in that it targeted a younger demographic, while encouraging parental participation. The event was held June 24th at the Starlight Roller Rink in Charlotte. Over 80 people attended the skate jam, showing off their skills on the rink and mingling with others in support of HIV/AIDS Awareness. One of the highlights of the evening was the raffle, which brought out plenty of excitement from children of all ages. In addition to raising awareness, Rock the RED: Youth Skate Jam also raised money to benefit Community Empowerment, an organization that provides services to people living with HIV/AIDS.

We at The Red Pump Project, appreciate Felisha for her efforts to raise awareness and proudly shine this spotlight on her for a job well done!

Check out More Pics from Rock the RED: Youth Skate Jam below:

On Twitter? Follow @RedPumpNation to keep up with ambassador events and other HIV/AIDS happenings around the country!

The post Ambassador Spotlight: Felisha Moore appeared first on The Red Pump Project.