






*AIDS is the leading cause of death for Black women between the ages of 24-45.
*Every day, more than 20 African American women get infected with HIV.
*Black women are 23 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV then white women.
*Black women accounted for 68 percent of new HIV infections between 2001 and 2004; Those infections are overwhelmingly happening through unprotected heterosexual sex – 78 percent of Black female infections between 2001 and 2004 were through sex with men.
*The first annual National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is March 10.
Visit the Black Aids Institute for more information
*More than half of all people will have an STI at some point in their lifetime. The estimated total number of people living in the US with a viral STI is over 65 million.
*Less than half of adults ages 18 to 44 have ever been tested for an STI other than HIV/AIDS. One in two sexually active persons will contact an STI by age 25.
*One out of 20 people in the United States will get infected with hepatitis B (HBV) some time during their lives. Hepatitis A and hepatitis B are the only two vaccine-preventable STIs.
*It is estimated that as many as one in four Americans have HSV (herpes), yet up to 90 percent of those with HSV are unaware they have it. There is no difference between Type I and Type II except location. With more than 50 million adults in the US with HSV and up to 1.6 million new infections each year, some estimates suggest that by 2025 up to 40% of all men and half of all women could be infected.
*Over 6 million people acquire HPV each year, and by age 50, at least 80 percent of women will have acquired genital HPV infection. Most people with HPV do not develop symptoms. Some researchers believe that HPV infections may self-resolve and may not be lifelong like herpes.
*Each year, there are almost 3 million new cases of chlamydia, many of which are in adolescents and young adults. The CDC recommends that sexually active females 25 and under should be screened at least once a year for chlamydia, even if no symptoms are present.
*Consistent condom use provides substantial protection against the acquisition of many STIs, including statistically significant reduction of risk against HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, and syphilis.
*If a man wants you, nothing can keep him away. If he doesn't want you, nothing can make him stay. Stop making excuses for a man and his behaviour.
*Allow your intuition (or spirit) to save you from heartache. STOP trying to change yourself for a relationship that's not meant to be. Slower is better.
*Never live your life for a man before you find what makes you truly happy. If a relationship ends because the man was not treating you as you deserve then heck no, you can't "be friends". A friend wouldn't mistreat a friend. DON'T SETTLE.
*If you feel like he is stringing you along, then he probably is. Don't stay because you think "it will get better." You'll be mad at yourself a year later for staying when things are not better. The only person you can control in a relationship is you.
*Avoid men who've got a bunch of children by a bunch of different women. He didn't marry them when he got them pregnant, why would he treat you any differently?
*Maintain boundaries in how a guy treats you. If something bothers you, speak up. Never let a man know everything; He will use it against you later.
*You cannot change a man's behavior. Change comes from within. Don't EVER make him feel he is more important than you are...even if he has more education or in a better job. Do not make him into a quasi-god. He is a man, nothing more nothing less.
*Never let a man define who you are. Never borrow someone else's man. If he cheated with you, he'll cheat on you.
*A man will only treat you the way you ALLOW him to treat you. All men are NOT dogs. You should not be the one doing all the bending... compromise is two way street. Deal with your issues before pursuing a new relationship.
*You should never look for someone to COMPLETE you...
*A relationship consists of two WHOLE individuals...
*Look for someone complimentary...not supplementary.
*Make him miss you sometimes...when a man always know where you are, and you're always readily available to him - he takes it for granted.
*Never co-sign for a man. Don't fully commit to a man who doesn't give you everything that you need. Keep him in your radar but get to know others.
*Share this with other women and men (just so they know)... You'll make someone smile, another rethink her choices, and another woman prepare.

