NEWS

from Central Connecticut State University
Honored as a "Leadership Institution" by the Association of American Colleges & Universities

Media contact: Peter Kilduff, Director of University Relations
(860) 832-1791; Kilduff@ccsu.edu



CCSU’s Black Student Union to host international AIDS activist Hydeia Broadbent on December 5 at 7 p.m.; public invited at no charge

 NEW BRITAIN -- November 30, 2007 -- The Black Student Union and the Ruthe Boyea Women’s Center at Central Connecticut State University are hosting international AIDS activist Hydeia Broadbent to speak at the World AIDS Day segment of Kwanzaa Week activities on campus.

 Ms. Broadbent will speak on Wednesday, December 5 in the Semesters facility in CCSU’s Student Center at 7 p.m.  The event is open to the public at no charge, and free parking is available in CCSU parking lots.

CCSU Black Student Union President Mervin Brandy cited UNAIDS estimates that “there are now 33.2 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children. This year alone, some 2.5 million people have become infected with the virus. Unfortunately, about half of all people who become infected with HIV are under the age of 25 and are likely to die from AIDS before they reach 35.  That is an especially sobering message to the campus community, whose members are mostly under 25.”

She noted that since it began on December 1, 1988, World AIDS Day has focused on increasing awareness of the potentially deadly virus, fighting prejudice and improving education.

“World AIDS Day is important in reminding people that HIV has not gone away, and that there are many things still to be done.  It has long been a part of our annual Kwanzaa Week activities,” Brandy said.

The Black Students Union (BSU) seeks to develop a black consciousness at CCSU and to improve the cultural and social development of black students in relationship to their past and future. It hopes to promote social unity and intellectual fellowship among those of African heritage.

 “Hydeia Broadbent is especially well qualified to address the worldwide AIDS problem,” Women’s Center Program Assistant Monique Daley said.  “She was abandoned at birth and adopted as an infant.  Although her HIV condition was congenital, she was not diagnosed as HIV-positive with advancement to AIDS until age three.  The prognosis was that she would not live past the age of five and as a result became the ‘test baby’ for some of the HIV/AIDS medications currently on the market.  Hydeia has defied the odds by more than16 years.”

 “She became an HIV/AIDS activist and public speaker at the age of six and, by age 12, Hydeia she was appearing on national programs, including ‘Oprah,’ ‘20/20,’ and ‘Good Morning America.’  Over the next 10 years she became a featured speaker and guest panelist at some of America’s most respected educational institutions: Duke University, Clark Atlanta University, UCLA, USC, and Howard University.  The Black Student Union is pleased to welcome her to CCSU,” Mervin Brandy said.

“Today, Hydeia Broadbent is a 22-year-old international public speaker, and HIV/AIDS activist.  When addressing the issues of HIV/AIDS, her primary goal is to provide a clear understanding of how to avoid at-risk behaviors through self-examination and informed decision-making,” Brandy said. 

Hydeia Broadbent recently stated: “With all that we know about the virus, it is clear to me that contracting HIV/AIDS today is a choice. The truth is that people who engage in risky sexual behaviors or share I.V. needles help spread the virus. We must help our youth make wise choices.”  

Kwanzaa Week at CCSU is in keeping with a unique African American celebration that focuses on the traditional African values of family, community responsibility, commerce, and self-improvement. Kwanzaa is a time of reaffirming African-American people, their ancestors and culture.

More information about the Ruthe Boyea Women’s Center is available from Monique Daley by calling 860-832-1655 going on-line at:  http://www.ccsu.edu/womenctr/default.htm.

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