Big names arrive for HIV/AIDS benefit

There was nothing distinctive about the Catholic school uniform that Garlia Jones wore in the mid-90s.\n A speaker came to her school one day to present information on HIV/AIDS. During the next four years, Jones said she distinguished herself by wearing a red ribbon -- a pin she received that day. \nJones has dropped the school uniform, but her dedication to the cause is still showing -- and this time she's doing something about it. Jones, who is now in her second year of graduate school at IU, is behind "RedVolution" -- an HIV/AIDS benefit scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater.\nThe event is a fundraiser for Positive Link's Emergency Care Fund -- a service of the Bloomington Hospital that provides free care to HIV/AIDS patients and provides free, confidential testing to the public. \nBloomington Hospital and Black Curtain, an IU theater group, paired up to promote HIV/AIDS education in the black community. The theater group which Jones, started in 2003, uses theater for education.\n"I write plays specifically to educate through theater and arts," Jones said. \nOne of her plays, "Drums," outlines the lives of three young black adults who receive the results of their HIV tests. The idea of RedVolution was born out of the conception of this play.\nThe play's Bloomington debut will accompany several other performances. Headlining acts include New York hip-hop artist Silk Hash Mills, vocal artist Alexis Joi Carter and Detroit slam poet Versiz.\n"Anytime you can have people's attention -- that's the time to have a focused message and say something positive," Versiz said. The musician/writer/poet will deliver a piece titled "What Sound," inspired by a volunteering experience he had baby-sitting orphaned children with HIV/AIDS.\nQuddus, of MTV's Total Request Live, will host the event along with Sherhara Williams, IU senior and former Black Curtain president. \n"My hope is that we sell out the show but more that we spark a fire in those attending so they'll ask for it again next year," Williams said. "This is a big issue in the black community, and we're trying to get the message across that people need to protect themselves." \nQuddus, who also works as an actor and producer, came from Los Angeles for the event. Having mediated forums on AIDS awareness before, Quddus said he is ready for the event.\n"It's a great cause -- imperative. Statistics on HIV/AIDS are astounding," he said. "It's an epidemic that sometimes gets overlooked in America." \nHe said he believes that every day something can be done in the fight against AIDS.\n"Be the change you wish to see in the world," he said. "Having safe sex personally and talking with friends about protecting themselves shows that you care."\nWilliam Brawner, a 26-year-old black male living with HIV, will be the night's keynote speaker. According to Brawner's Web site, at the age of 18 months, after suffering a severe burn, he required a blood transfusion through which he contracted the HIV virus. Having lived with the virus for nearly 25 years, Brawner says, "My goal is to provide others with the knowledge and skills necessary to stop AIDS!"\nTickets for the event are 10$ for students and 15$ for non-students. For more information, visit www.redvolution.org.