Cutting through AIDS myths

COLUMBUS DISPATCH - July 11, 2006
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/news-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/07/11/20060711-A1-03.html

AIDS educators working with the Tobias Project, which addresses the problem of HIV and AIDS among blacks, are taking their message to the black man's sanctuary, the barbershop.

As they tap their feet to the bass and bump of Lil Jon's Snap Yo Fingers, the barbers and customers sneak in a few giggles and jokes during a discussion about safe sex.

But the laughter fades at In the Cut, 1325 E. Livingston Ave., as the impact of HIV/AIDS on the black community sinks in.

Blacks, which make up17 percent of the population in Franklin County, accounted for 42 percent of the county's HIV and AIDS cases in 2004, the Ohio Health Department said.

More than half of new HIV infections among women affect black women, Preston F. Mitchell II, of the Tobias Project, tells them.

And 10 youths younger than age 18 tested positive for HIV at a screening two years ago sponsored by his organization on the East Side, Mitchell says.

Barber Alafia Rashawn Kamau stops the steady glide of his clippers across a customer's head when he hears that the deadly virus has shown up in that many youngsters in the neighborhood.

"It's getting real out here, brothers," Mitchell says.

AIDS educators working with the Tobias Project, which addresses the problem of HIV and AIDS among blacks, are taking their message to the black man's sanctuary, the barbershop.

"If you believe that safe sex will stop the spread of HIV, then your customers will, too," Mitchell told the barbers.

The barbershop is second to the church as a welcoming place for blacks, said Eric Troy, program manager of the Todd A. Bell National Resource Center on the African-American Male at Ohio State University.

"The barbershop for the black men is our country club," Troy said. "All you need is to be black and male. Whether you have a Ph.D. or no degree ... you're not judged."

Barbers are being tapped to pass along accurate information about the virus that causes AIDS, using a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention model called "popular-opinion leader," Mitchell said.

He uses a mix of locker-room phrases and medical terms to teach barbers how to bring up the topic, listen effectively and give a "risk-reduction" message.

Since January, barbers at five Columbus shops have received five sessions of training in their shops while working on customers.

The training helps them crush common myths and pass on stark truths:

• AIDS is no longer a gay white man's disease.
• Pretty women can carry HIV.
• Protection is needed for every sex act.
• AIDS is not just a problem in Africa.

Condoms and information on testing are dispensed along with haircuts and shaves.

The effort is paying off, Mitchell said. "We have people come in to test, and they get the information from the barbershops. We have the barbershops call us and say, 'Hey, we need condoms.' "

Customers are picking up both the condoms and the message, said Bobby LaVette, a co-manager at First Impressions barbershop, 1885 E. Livingston Ave.

LaVette, who has a friend who was recently diagnosed as HIV-positive, shares facts about the virus with young customers.

"That makes them listen, hearing something they never heard," said LaVette, 37. "We talk to kids in a way so they are more receptive."

For some barbers, the training is sobering. In the Cut manager Diarra Bradley, 30, took a few deep breaths. The bleak statistics blew his mind.

"That stuff is scary. It's spooky," Bradley said after his first training session.

"People need to hear it and stop doing what they are doing," he said, adding that having unprotected sex is "playing craps with your life."

As customer Ben Lacey sat getting a cut at Bradley's shop, the words of caution started to sink in.

"I started thinking about staying safe," said Lacey, 21. "Usually if you go to a health fair or something, it doesn't sink in. Some people don't communicate on a level we can relate to."

Ebony Johnson, 27, was surprised to hear the discussion about HIV and safe sex at First Impressions during her 5-yearold son Jared Hampton's haircut. But she's glad to know that, if he has questions when he gets older, he can get accurate information from his barber.

"A lot of people, especially teenagers, coming in here will listen to them," she said. sherri.williams@dispatch.com