HIV Conference Focuses on Student Leaders

When Hydeia Broadbent was born in Las Vegas 19 years ago, the odds were already stacked against her. Her biological mother, a drug addict, abandoned her in the hospital. Six weeks later, Patricia and Loren Broadbent adopted her to give her a chance for a better life. But the Broadbents soon noticed that their little girl was susceptible to minor illnesses. When Hydeia was 3, they discovered she was HIV positive.

Photo credit: Campus Echo Hydeia Broadbent looks on during the conference. Broadbent, 19, is a renowned speaker on HIV/AIDS.

At age 6, Hydeia began to sensitize young people to the AIDS/HIV problem among youth.

"I thought that it was important for me to try to talk and help young people know a lot about AIDS. I like to talk to young people; they listen to me because kids listen to kids,” said Hydeia, who is now an AIDS activist known internationally.

“I go to colleges and talk to students. I have done some TV shows and I am always available to talk to young people. They are my friends.”

Hydeia was one of several visitors to North Carolina Central University who spoke to students at the March 18-21 Stomp Out HIV/STDs Student Leadership Conference.

The students came from 12 North Carolina historically black colleges and universities.

The conference coincided with media attention on recent studies by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other organizations showing an increase of HIV cases among black college students in North Carolina, with 84 black male students testing positive between January 2000 and December 2003.

CDC Medical epidemiologist Lisa Fitzpatrick told delegates that the problem affected not just North Carolina.

Photo credit: Campus Echo Geneva Vauters asks a question at the Stomp Out HIV/STDs Student Leadership Conference.

“There is no difference in what is happening in North Carolina with what is going on around the country,” she said. “This is a national problem.”

But Fitzpatrick said most cases of HIV were not found at HBCUs.

“The media got it in their heads that this is an HBCU problem. That’s a misconception. Of the 84, 60 percent were from non-HBCUs and only 40 percent were from HBCUs,” said Fitzpatrick.

The state Division of Public Health’s HIV/STDs Prevention and Care branch sponsored the conference, which was designed to “provide student leaders from North Carolina’s historically minority serving colleges and universities to make a difference . . . to stomp out HIV … to promote individual and collective responsibility to prevent the spread HIV/AIDS/STDs,” according to the conference program.

Phyllis Gray, the state Department of Health and Human Services Minority AIDS Initiative program manager, said the conference focused on young black people because they have ties to the community mostly affected by HIV.

“These young black students in school have respect in their communities,” said Gray. “We need to work with them and also help campuses in protecting students from HIV.”

Students who attended the conference said that they had learned a lot and would work tirelessly to educate their peers on the dangers of HIV.

“I enjoyed being part of the conference,” said Tai Bryant, a health education junior at North Carolina Central. “I learned that we have to learn to empower ourselves in our behaviors and make changes. It helped us meet other peer educators from other universities and share ideas.”

Talesia Griffin, a freshman from Barber-Scotia College majoring in biology, agreed.

“The conference gave me some in-depth information on how devastating AIDS is and I will go back to school and have programs to help my African American friends,” she said.

Brandon Braud, who spoke at the conference and is also HIV-infected, urged students to use condoms and to be brave enough to take HIV tests.

“HIV is a reality,” said Braud.

“It’s important for people to know their status. Those who are negative should work toward educating themselves on remaining negative. And those who are positive should take responsibility and do some things to help others.”

Lovemore Masakadza, a student at North Carolina Central University, is editor-in-chief of The Campus Echo.

Posted April 5, 2004