CHRIS CODUTO/Arizona Daily Wildcat Larissa Smith, vice president of Sigma Gamma Rho sorority and an anthropology senior, gave a presentation to a group of people about the dangers of AIDS and HIV Monday evening in the Student Union Memorial Center. Monday was Black AIDS/HIV Awareness Day.

Marking the celebration of Black History Month and promoting AIDS/HIV awareness, some campus groups are hosting activities to raise awareness and educate the community about the growing AIDS epidemic.

AIDS/HIV is the No. 1 cause of death for black women ages 25 to 34 years old, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.

In the United States, about 1.7 million cases of AIDS and HIV were reported, according to the CDC Web site.

Although blacks make up 13 percent of the United States population, a whopping 53 percent of the new HIV cases were reported by blacks in 2004, according to the Web site.

Many campus groups are encouraging AIDS/HIV awareness, such as the Pride Alliance group, a student organization promoting individuality and diversity run by the Associated Students of the University of Arizona.

Pride will provide free HIV testing Monday on the third floor of the Student Union Memorial Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Testing will be held in the Pima, Cottonwood, Palo Verde and Mesquite Rooms.

"As part our awareness week we are holding testing in the Union so it's convenient for all students and faculty. It's very important for everyone to get tested and be safe," said Angel Nguyen, co-director of ASUA Pride Alliance.

The Africana studies department is also sponsoring AIDS awareness in their film series. The series, which is a semester-long program, will feature the AIDS related film "Everyone's Child" on April 7.

Although Black History Month and AIDS awareness is primarily emphasized in February, the Southern Arizona AIDS Foundation makes a long-term commitment to AIDS awareness by hosting monthly presentations and seminars, said Cherwee Hughley, SAAF volunteer resources assistant.

Hughley said the presentations and seminars focus on the medical aspect of the virus, awareness and prevention methods. For example, the "HIV 101" presentation discusses topics of needle cleaning, correct condom use and answering the question, "What is AIDS?" he said.

The church and community are also joining together for the 16th annual Black Churches' Week of Prayer, where churches and SAAF work together to raise awareness about the virus in the community, Hughley said.

The event, which is dedicated toward the healing of AIDS, will run from March 6 through 12.

Since AIDS/HIV is becoming a quickly growing epidemic, the Nu Upsilon chapter of the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. held a presentation Monday night to recognize National Black AIDS/HIV Awareness Day.

Larissa Smith, sorority vice president, said Black History Month was created to celebrate the blacks in the community. But if a large portion of the community continues to be infected with AIDS/HIV, there may be less to celebrate, she said.

"Black History Month could be gone if all the black people die of AIDS," Smith said.

During the event, members of the audience shared stories about how AIDS and HIV have directly affected their lives.

Mumbi Musukuma, an evolutionary biology and psychology senior, said she was inspired to limit the fear associated with AIDS after she lost her cousin to the disease.

The experience inspired her to encourage people in her native country, Zambia, as well as in the United States, to get educated about the realties of AIDS/HIV.

Musukuma said she is faced with the challenge of Zambia's conservative culture, where many citizens refuse to even talk about sex, therefore AIDS never gets discussed.

"I want to increase sex education without disrespecting my culture and tradition," Musukuma said. "I'd rather be seen as over-radical and find a cure and have people not afraid with an education than having people continue to be afraid and keeping quiet."