Washington, DC

Matt Ward, Danica Mercer and I flew on a very early flight to DC (yes, I got 3 hours of sleep last night). Student Global AIDS Campaign was hosting a summit for college students as well as a march against AIDS. Wouldn't miss it for the world :)

On our bus ride from the airport we had an amazing conversation with Corey "Black Ice" Cummins. He's a boxer from Baltimore. He had a million and a half questions about AIDS. He asked if the government created AIDS, if bleach could cure you from AIDS, and why Africa is struggling because aren't they so rich??? Corey was a voice of an uneducated, ignorant perspective that I had never heard in the States. He's African American, a member of the population that has the highest growing rate of HIV in the US. I gave him a book on AIDS that answers all those questions. It's important for me to remember that not everyone, even in our own country, really understands the implications of HIV/AIDS.

Matt and Danica had never been to the Holocaust Museum, so I insisted that we go there (even though I had just been there three weeks ago to hear Romeo Dallaire speak). This was my third time, and it's still just as gut-wrenching. The pressing question for me is this: What are we supposed to do with the Sudan???? I feel so helpless about it.

Our AIDS march began with a rally at LaFayette Park next to the White House. There were about a thousand of us young people, ages 15-24 years old. We marched the streets of the capitol as the police blocked off half of the road for us. There's something energizing about marching and chanting for something you believe in. But more and more, I wonder if any of this really makes a difference? We do have a voice and we must use it. I'm not sure this is the best use of our voice and if this is the most effective? Especially since there was such a small number of us. I wonder...

Jena