April 9, 2007 — The American Red Cross of the Virgin Islands has worked with Black Entertainment Television to bring in BET's "Rap It Up" teen forum on HIV-AIDS prevention at Ivanna Eudora Kean High School on Tuesday and and Charlotte Amalie High School on Wednesday and Thursday.
The teen forum is open only to each school's student population, not the general public. BET will bring celebrity talent (not yet named) to be panelists to respond to a series of HIV/AIDS-related questions, as well as answer unscripted questions from the students themselves. Also invited to be panelists are members of the V.I. Department of Health's HIV-STD-TB program, along with the American Red Cross's HIV-outreach specialists.
According to the BET website, Rap It Up is "BET’s call to action, grassroots HIV/AIDS awareness campaign designed to address the epidemic in the African American community." The program "seeks to help African-American youth and families protect against HIV/AIDS-related illnesses and diminish the incidences of HIV/AIDS."
The BET website says Rap It Up is the nation's largest HIV/AIDS public-education campaign reaching African-Americans. "In a recent national survey, more than nine in ten young African Americans (ages 18-24) recognized Rap It Up," the site says.
For more information, call call Pat Odoms with the American Red Cross at 774-0375, ext. 113.