The night was an overwhelming success! We had over 200 people come join us, most of them were Rocked the RED. The ladies were in red pumps and the gentlemen donned red ties!

So on Thursday, March 25, 2010, The Red Pump Project invited people to the Bottom Lounge (1375 W. Lake) in Chicago, IL to come celebrate with us. Team Red Pump prepped for months leading up to this event, and it was amazing to see our hard work pay off. The event started when doors opened at 5:45pm. People were already lined up to enter. At that point, the incredible DJ Bonsu already had the music spinning. We were getting ready backstage and JAMMING!!! By 6:15, Bottom Lounge (our venue) was already filling up. Our VIPs were in their designated lounge sipping on drinks provided by Dragon Bleu Vodka.

As the show began an hour later, our host, Danielle Noel Riley (Miss Black Illinois 2010) came out to greet the audience and kick it off. She introduced the “Bold Fashion” Scene, featuring the designs of Melanie Lyke of Rockett Mansion, Kortnee Quiza of Verse Boutique, Amber Johnson, Kahindo Mateene and New’d Chicago.

After seeing some fabulous designs from these five, we took a 20-minute intermission to allow people to bid on Eidia Lush‘ custom red pump that launched at our show. The FIERCE shoes were handmade, with buckles that were made with Swarovski Crystals.

Next was the presentation of The Red Pump Project’s Year in Impact. It was played to Kanye West’s “I Wonder.”

One of the highlights of the night had to be:
After the presentation ended, Karyn and I came up to speak about the past year. The Red Pump Project has definitely grown beyond our wildest expectations. We also announced that earlier in the week, we were invited to come to Washington DC for a “Red Pump Day on Capitol Hill.” (WOO HOO!!!) Right after that, Thyatiria Towns, from Congressman Bobby Rush’s office came up to the mic with a surprise for us. She was holding two plaques in her hands and proceeded to say they were Congressional Records, recognizing The Red Pump Project’s work in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

 

                                                                                                  Pic credit: Bryan Thompson (Graffiti Photography)


Ms. Towns read the plaque to the audience and Karyn and I may have DEFINITELY started to cry. It was a HUGE shock to us! We’re so thankful to for this honor and feel so privileged.

We had our moment to shine. Now we had to step aside for night’s honoree: Rae Lewis-Thornton. We decided to honor Rae with the first Red Pump Living Legacy Award for so many reasons. She’s been infected with HIV since before it was truly understood. Since the mid-80s, when people thought it was an automatic death sentence. However, she has never allowed HIV/AIDS to break her or her spirit. She’s lived with the disease with such undeniable class and courage. We gave the award to Rae Lewis-Thornton because there is no one more deserving of the honor. To our now-adopted Auntie Rae… we love you dearly, and your life continues to affirm our work.

Rae’s first words when she got to the mic was “I just told Luvvie a couple of days ago that y’all better not get me no ugly ass plaque!” The room erupted in laughter. Well Rae, you know that isn’t our style. We had to give you a DIVA award for a TRUE Diva. Rae’s speech and candor on her life and her struggles with HIV/AIDS touched so many people in the room. Thank God for waterproof makeup!

The FINAL scene of the show was our “Fashion Awareness.” Designs were provided by Crystal B Designs, Spirit Africa and Black Market Caviar.

Then, we debuted the Red Pump Awareness Tshirt Line.

The post "Rock the Red" Recap – Amazing Night appeared first on The Red Pump Project.

On February 11th, I had the immense pleasure of hearing Emmy Award Winning HIV activist Rae Lewis-Thornton speak at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Encouraging an honest dialogue about the disease, Rae discussed everything from denial and disillusionment in the Black Community, the Down-Low Myth, and even Diarrhea.

Before then I had never met Rae. I had heard her story, but had never witnessed her testimony. Yet, after yesterday, I will NEVER forget the indelible impression she has left on my life and my desire to do more to continue to spread awareness about HIV/AIDS. Greeted by a solemn audience, Rae encouraged us to loosen up in order to become more receptive to what she had to say. “AIDS is so deep and heavy, but you have to have laughter,” she stated.

Diagnosed with HIV, in 1985, Rae was just 23 years old. The survivor of sexual abuse as a child, and a tumultuous relationship with her mother, Rae believed that if she had conquered those horrible experiences, she too could conquer HIV. However, Rae made conquering synonymous with avoidance and she drew “an invisible dividing line between HIV/AIDS.”

Seven years passed and she had only told five people she was HIV positive. It was in that seventh year she was diagnosed with full blown AIDS. It was at this time, she began to take control of her situation. In 1994, two years after she became public with her diagnosis, she was approached by Susan Taylor of Essence, who featured Rae on their cover. Voice breaking, Rae noted how she would “go down in history as the first Black woman to tell her story of ‘Living with AIDS’ in a national publication.”

However, “being on the cover of a magazine is not going to save my life.”

The most truthful and straightforward moment came as Rae attempted to dispel the dismissal of the effects of AIDS, simply because of her outward appearances. Similar, but in no ways identical, to Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Rae believes that her outwardly healthy appearance has led people to downplay the disease. However, the symptoms are something that she learned cannot be ignored or controlled, and they can come in the form of something so embarrassing as uncontrollable diarrhea.

Sitting in a restaurant, eating dinner, Rae recalled a time where she began to feel the diarrhea run down her leg. Dressed in expensive garments, and undergarments ($125 La Perla underwear), and Chanel Pumps, her clothes could not save her from her condition. Excusing herself to the bathroom, Rae cleaned herself off, removed her undergarments, rinsed them off and threw them away. That was the last pair she ever bought. Once, after telling her story, Rae was asked why she went through the trouble of washing out her underwear if she were just going to throw them away. Her response, was simple to her, yet profound to me:

“I respect public space…even in my pain…I considered the discomfort of others. AIDS is about “How one maintains one’s dignity when their back is against the wall.”

Throughout her journey, Rae has struggled to deal with the misconceptions and the stigmas surrounding HIV and AIDS. Initially, it was her fear of rejection from potential partners. However, now her main concern is that people have written HIV off. “AIDS is like diabetes,” is something she states she often hears and she hates that comparison. AIDS, like diabetes has “become a joke in the black community. People have moved on. The AIDS community has moved on and the Black community is in denial.”

Our denial, Rae says is “historically wrapped into who we are as a people.” Aware of the ramifications of ‘blaming slavery,’ Rae insists that not only was the damage done, but it has been carried on throughout the years.

“Black men made babies, Black women were raped. Black men were hung and their sexuality was used as social control… We have fought the ‘buck’ and ‘whore’ our entire life and it has paralyzed us to talk about sex.”

From spirituality to sexuality, the interwining of religion and relationships makes it so that we are not prepared to have a serious discourse on HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, we do not address issues such as homosexuality, and this too destroys the Black male gay community. “Black Gay Men aren’t prepared to admit that 1 out of 2 Black gay men have HIV.”

Throughout all of the conversation, however, the message is clear. Personal accountability. “You have to make your own choices,” she says. She drives this point across especially to young black women, who are now 72 percent of all new HIV cases amongst women. And in her own candid way, that captivated my attention at the beginning of her lecture, Rae warned “unless the penis is in your pocket, you don’t know where it’s been. If you are not married you should be using a condom 100 percent of the time.” I agree, Rae.

————–

About Brittany

My name is Brittany Antoinette and I am fashionably rocking the red pump for HIV/AIDS awareness in the City of Chicago.

I joined the Red Pump Project because the faces of those most affected, look just like me. I joined because apathy is not a cure for AIDS/HIV. A recent graduate, with a minor in African American Studies and a concentration in Gender Women’s Studies, I have a passion to help women of color in areas of health care and education. The Red Pump Project combines the two. While I fully support the search to find a cure, I firmly believe that awareness has to be at the forefront of people’s minds.

You can find me on the internet at www.blackisbreezie.blogspot.com and Twitter. My handle is @BlkIsBreezie.

The post If Only You Knew… appeared first on The Red Pump Project.

Karyn (The Fab Giver) and I decided to throw Patrice (Afrobella) a Red Pump Project Mixer to welcome her to Chicago with an evening of relaxing, socializing, drinks & fun. Not only that, all proceeds from the event went to the Chicago Women’s AIDS Project (CWAP).

I left Blogging While Brown in the middle of the last panel and had an hour to get dressed and arrive at Three Peas Art Lounge. Patrice had already left BWB at the beginning of that panel so she could go get snazzy for the mixer.

Being that I’ve come to master the 2-minute makeup routine (nothing but a lil eyeshadow and lipgloss), I made it with 15 minutes to spare. When Karyn showed up, we looked at each other and saw that we were matching. We both had on ruffled tops with skinny jeans and red heels. Great minds think alike because we’ve ended up matching at other Red Pump Project events before (like in March, for the Red Pump Happy Hour. We wore exact same colors) —->

Patrice showed up looking snazzy in her black dress, feather earrings and red slingbacks. She made it a family affair because her hubby came and so did her in-laws. They were ALL so nice.

Folks trickled in and before we knew it, the place was packed! Dranks were flowing and folks were mingling. All was well in the world. Then at one point, I was standing by the door making sure folks were signing in when in walked a woman who I swear I’d seen before somewhere.

Me: “Hi, welcome to The Red Pump Project Meetup. I’m Luvvie.”
Her: “Hey Luvvie!”
Me: *squints* I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before.
Her: “You may have. I’m Rae Lewis-Thornton.”
Me: “The AIDS Activist???”
Her: “Yes”
Me: *faints*

Ok I didn’t faint but I shonuff could have. While me and her chatted for about 10 minutes, my internal dialogue was going nuts. “Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh Rae Lewis-Thornton is at a Red Pump event. Ohmygoshohmygosh. Stay cool. Stay cool!” *looks for wall to lean on* to get my cool back because CLEARLY I lost it ALL.

Rae Lewis-Thornton & I

I still cannot believe Rae Lewis-Thornton was there! She is so inspirational and who better to Rock the Red Pump than an Emmy-winning world-renowned AIDS activist like Ms. Lewis-Thornton? Who doesn’t remember her cover story on Essence Magazine called “Facing AIDS”? She was one of the first Black women to speak out about being affected by the disease. Just… WOW!

I wanted to bust out into a church scoot right then and THERE, LAWD!!!! But once again, I exercised some self-control. I kept my celebration to a big STUPID grin that was plastered on my face.

Anywho, that was a HUGE highlight for the evening. We raffled off 9 things, including 5 cute compacts with secret condom cases on the inside (much love to Just in Case Inc. for donating them to us).

Folks drank, talked and were merry and the vent was a huge success. We had a blast! Some ladies came in their FIERCE Red Pumps! Everyone else *side-eye*. LOL no, really. Your presence was enough!

Rocking the Red Pump at the meetup!

Thank you ALL for coming.

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