Freedom Rider

Freedom Rider http://www.thebody.com/content/art60852.html A blog by Khafre Abif at TheBody.com. http://www.thebody.com/images/blog/khafre_biobox.gif Khafre Abif http://www.thebody.com/content/art60852.html 115 145 My Sister, My Sister http://www.thebody.com/content/75583/my-sister-my-sister.html The Elders know and shake your hand,
not afraid to pat you on the shoulder.
This virus, this sickness of mankind,
traditional ways of healing,
revealing your lack of fear.
Cry your tears upon Earth, our Mother.
We have wounded Her,
She is weak and cannot replenish herself.
Change, or be sick like Her.
Now bow your head and pray in their indigenous tongue.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/75583/my-sister-my-sister.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Mon, 9 Mar 2015 19:28:00 GMT A Poem of Celebration for National HIV Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day http://www.thebody.com/content/74572/a-poem-of-celebration-for-national-hiv-long-term-s.html On June 6th I will be 48 years old. I have been living with HIV/AIDS for more than half of my life.

On June 5th, Long Term Survivors Awareness Day ...

I celebrate!

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/74572/a-poem-of-celebration-for-national-hiv-long-term-s.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Thu, 5 Jun 2014 09:12:00 GMT Where Is All the Outrage About HIV Among Youth? http://www.thebody.com/content/71927/where-is-all-the-outrage-about-hiv-among-youth.html "Our son didn't deserve to die," said the parents of Trayvon Martin. Just 17 years old when he was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. Trayvon wasn't doing anything besides walking home with a bag of Skittles and some iced tea in his hands. Doing what the average teenager does. What makes Trayvon's death so much harder is knowing the man who confessed to killing him, George Zimmerman, may be acquitted. No family should ever have to go through this nightmare. The law should protect everyone, regardless of where they live, how much money they make, or what color their skin is.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/71927/where-is-all-the-outrage-about-hiv-among-youth.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Wed, 26 Jun 2013 09:06:00 GMT "We Still Don't Get It" http://www.thebody.com/content/71669/we-still-dont-get-it.html I've thought a great deal about what's happening to our youth as it relates to their rate of infection from HIV. Most of the time when I speak, share or blog, HIV in our youth is what I speak, share or blog about because that is where my life is centered.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/71669/we-still-dont-get-it.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Mon, 3 Jun 2013 01:52:00 GMT Call My Name http://www.thebody.com/content/68065/call-my-name.html On June 10th I received a brief email from Lawrence L. Denson, Ph.D., informing the members of Men Of Color in Motion (a psycho-social spiritual support group) in Atlanta, Georgia, that a Quilt in honor of Richard Anderson the group founder is being created for display during the 2012 International AIDS Conference. The message went on to say: "If you are interested and available to assist with this endeavor a representative from The NAMES Project Foundation will meet us on Wednesday, June 13th from 10 a.m. till 2 p.m." The message included the regal black and white photograph of Richard Anderson.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/68065/call-my-name.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Tue, 24 Jul 2012 09:43:00 GMT Activism and Its Consequences http://www.thebody.com/content/67882/activism-and-its-consequences.html It has been some time since my last blog entry. I must apologize to those of you who have been following me. The last three months have been the most challenging time I have had in years. I have to share with you all that in November 2009 I decided to follow what I believe my God has purposed for my life. That purpose is to use my professional and personal life story to speak, share, write, educate, advocate full time on the battlefield against the pandemic of HIV/AIDS. For me, what that means is devoting all of my time and attention to Cycle for Freedom, public speaking, writing for The.Body.com, as well as attempting to self-publish Cornbread, Fish and Collard Greens: Prayers, Poems & Affirmation for People Living with HIV/AIDS. All of this has come with great personal sacrifice. My employment is my activism and thus far what has been generated I am grateful for, however it has not allowed for personal sustainability.

Read more ...

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/67882/activism-and-its-consequences.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Tue, 17 Jul 2012 08:28:00 GMT Dear HIV http://www.thebody.com/content/66366/dear-hiv.html We were first introduced through our social network in 1989. I did not have enough information about you nor was I consciously connecting to my sexual behavior with my sexual identity. You traveled with your friend syphilis looking for any opening to attack and you both crashed the party. Your friend syphilis became noticeable while you went about your work without detection.

Read more ...

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/66366/dear-hiv.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:45:00 GMT The POWER of WORDS http://www.thebody.com/content/66017/the-power-of-words.html In a previous blog, "Sowing Seeds for the Movement," I shared that throughout 2010 I had been working on several other projects and how I am excited regarding the completion of an anthology entitled, Cornbread, Fish and Collard Greens: Prayers, Poems, & Affirmations for People Living with HIV/AIDS. The work over the last eighteen months has brought my spirit great rewards as the submissions have touched my soul, provoked internal dialog, made me cry, filled me with hope and connected me to an international community of compassionate contributors who have shared their work to empower our world.

Read more ...

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/66017/the-power-of-words.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Mon, 5 Mar 2012 08:59:00 GMT Community or Chaos: Roland Martin, Rampant Homophobia and HIV Risk http://www.thebody.com/content/65802/community-or-chaos-roland-martin-rampant-homophobi.html The homophobia in the black community runs so deep that we can't even recognize it when we hear it or read it. You may or may not have heard about the recent dialog regarding CNN's Roland Martin being under fire from gay rights groups after tweeting that people should "smack the ish out" of male fans of a steamy Super Bowl commercial starring David Beckham.

Read more ...

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/65802/community-or-chaos-roland-martin-rampant-homophobi.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:17:00 GMT Sowing Seeds for the Movement http://www.thebody.com/content/65272/sowing-seeds-for-the-movement.html It was sometime in 2010 when I came to the attention of Olivia Ford, community manager for TheBody.com. I had been sending out press releases to every email that I could find in HIV/AIDS media. Olivia was the only person to respond to the news that an HIV-positive person was working toward a national HIV/AIDS mobilization campaign, Cycle for Freedom. You can't imagine the joy and excitement that I was feeling after sending well over 100 emails with no response.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/65272/sowing-seeds-for-the-movement.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Fri, 23 Dec 2011 08:45:00 GMT Getting to Zero and Cycle for Freedom: A National HIV/AIDS Mobilization Campaign http://www.thebody.com/content/64782/getting-to-zero-and-cycle-for-freedom-a-national-h.html In 2009, I was shaken by the loss of two very dear friends who were warriors on the battlefield for HIV education and awareness: Richard Anderson (Atlanta, Ga., founder of Men of Color in Motion) and Floyd Patterson (Pittsburgh, Pa.). Both were long-term survivors and transitioned from AIDS-related illnesses. These men lived openly with HIV/AIDS, sharing and pushing back against HIV-related stigma. Following their loss, I took some time in prayer and meditation with God, asking the question, "Why am I still here after 21 years of dealing with this virus?" Out of the time with God came my new assignment: Cycle for Freedom, a national HIV/AIDS mobilization campaign, was founded shortly afterward in 2010.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/64782/getting-to-zero-and-cycle-for-freedom-a-national-h.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:00:00 GMT Help AIDS United to "Make It Grow" http://www.thebody.com/content/63894/make-it-grow.html More than 50 percent of the 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States do not have consistent access to care, and the people most affected are communities of color and those in extreme poverty. The AIDS United movement has set a course to change that. I recently became aware of AIDS United and its efforts to develop commitments from corporations, foundations, and individuals to invest their resources to connect people living with HIV/AIDS who need high-quality supportive services and health care.

Just a little more than two weeks ago this nation celebrated the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s historic "I Have a Dream" speech, which he deliver to hundreds of thousands on the Washington Mall. As I listened to several news reports, commentators and programs I was left with a void. At no time during any of the programs I watched or listened to did anyone ask this question: "What would Dr. King say about this county and its greed and inability to support AIDS funding?"

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/63894/make-it-grow.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Mon, 12 Sep 2011 11:38:00 GMT Be the Chair of Your Own Board: Advice Before Starting Treatment http://www.thebody.com/content/63218/be-the-chair-of-your-own-board-advice-before-start.html "If I could go back in time to the moment before I started HIV treatment, what piece of advice would I give myself?" I would advise myself to approach my decision the exact same way. I didn't begin treatment until seven or eight years after my diagnosis. As a librarian I was heavy into research and worked to find out as much as I could about the current treatments available. I read Websites like TheBody.com, and read POZ magazine from cover to cover.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/63218/be-the-chair-of-your-own-board-advice-before-start.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Wed, 17 Aug 2011 18:05:00 GMT Always Late to the Party http://www.thebody.com/content/62775/always-late-to-the-party.html I had a blog written over a month ago to submit for Pride here on TheBody.com. It described how I was a part of a group of LGBTQ Black college students who decided to go the Washington, D.C., for the Memorial Holiday weekend back in 1989. Then it was a few small gatherings of the "children," and we carried on for filth. At that time I was still so closeted but felt safe with a group of men I called my friends from Florida A&M University. I had no idea nor did we plan for what that holiday would turn out to be years later.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/62775/always-late-to-the-party.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Wed, 29 Jun 2011 18:05:00 GMT The Responsible Thing to Do http://www.thebody.com/content/art61954.html Early in 1990 I met a young woman on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh. Soon after our second or third date I share with her that I am a Bi-Sexual man. She seems comfortable with it and with me as our relationship developed. By March of 1991, I knew I wanted to marry her.

Prior to asking for her hand in marriage I decided to get tested for HIV. Before returning to Pittsburgh I was a student at Florida A&M University and I had unprotected sex with both men and women, so in my mind this was the responsible thing to do.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art61954.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Fri, 13 May 2011 15:16:00 GMT Well Done: Honoring Dr. Mark Colomb http://www.thebody.com/content/art61254.html For the past several days I have been reminded once again, that tomorrow is never promised. My mentor, Dr. Mark A. Colomb (1963-2011), Founder/President of My Brother's Keeper, Inc., has transitioned.

Dr. Mark A. Colomb was a staunch warrior and activist whose passion and commitment to Mississippi, the South and particular focus on responding to the needs of Black men who have sex with men (MSM) have left a legacy of leadership.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art61254.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Wed, 30 Mar 2011 19:11:00 GMT Alafia (Peace) http://www.thebody.com/content/art60851.html Alafia means peace. It is a word from the Yoruba people of Nigeria.

What a blessing it is to contribute to the community of activists, advocates, bloggers, writers, and columnists who seek to empower the lives of us infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. I count it all joy to contribute through TheBody.com which has been a constant and faithful resource to me personally for many years.

]]> http://www.thebody.com/content/art60851.html FreedomRider2011@gmail.com (Khafre Abif) Fri, 11 Mar 2011 19:11:00 GMT