“Let’s talk about sex for now to the people
at home or in the crowd
It keeps coming up anyhow
Don’t decoy, avoid, or make void the topic
Cuz that ain’t gonna stop it” — Salt ‘N’ Pepa
Dr. Walter Kimbrough knew that there was nothing normal about the spate of recent statistics erupting in the headlines about Blacks and the consequences of their sexual activity. In fact, he said, the numbers were “mind boggling,” especially knowing that African-Americans are the most religious group in the U.S., according to a 2009 study by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.
In disbelief, Kimbrough, president of the historically Black Philander Smith College, called the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention when he learned that African-Americans account for nearly half of all new cases of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Although only 12 percent of the population, Blacks surpass Whites in the number of abortions they have. About 72 percent of Black children are born out of wedlock. And young African-Americans are more likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases, especially chlamydia and syphilis, compared to their White or Hispanic counterparts.
Faced with these numbers, Kimbrough also wrestled with what he says is “clearly a disconnect between Black religious belief and behavior,” among college students as well as in the broader community. He responded by launching Sex Week on February 7, which was also National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
“We had to do something,” he says.
Sex Week, Philander Smith’s first-ever campuswide sexual education forum, brought students together with medical, religious, health and relationship experts for frank dialogue on a wide range of issues, including STDs, AIDS, Christian dating, sexual harassment and domestic abuse.
