It's National Women & Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day!

Today is National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD) and we're proudly and fiercely Rocking the Red Pump with over 1,200 bloggers from around the country (and the world). Created by the Office of Women’s Health, NWGHAAD is recognized on March 10th of every year with the goal is of bringing women together to encourage dialogue and educate women and girls about the increasing impact of HIV/AIDS epidemic on our lives.

Every 35 minutes, a woman tests positive for HIV in the United States. Though much progress has been made in the areas of HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, women still represent 27 percent of all new AIDS diagnoses, with African-American women making up an overwhelming 66 percent of that number. In 2006, teen girls represented 39% of AIDS cases reported among 13–19 year-olds. Black teens represented 69% of cases reported among 13–19 year-olds; Latino teens represented 19%. These startling statistics are the driving force behind Red Pump's message.

Fifty days ago, we launched our 3rd Annual "Rock the Red Pump" campaign with the goal of getting 500 blogs involved. Today, we're ecstatic to be standing over 1,200 blogs strong, all uniting to represent the courage of all the women and girls who are infected and affected with HIV/AIDS.

In addition to commemorating NWGHAAD today, we are also recognizing the 2nd Anniversary of The Red Pump Project. What started as a small idea has blossomed into a movement that has grown beyond any of our expectations. We'd like to thank all the bloggers who are "Rocking the Red Pump" on their websites today and are using their voice and influence to shine a light on this issue. We'd also like to thank the women everywhere who are rocking their favorite pair of red pumps (or flats) today. We created a video thank you all! Visit HERE to watch it!

To commemorate the day, we're having official Red Pump events around the country. Please read more about them on our events page. We will be hosting a Twitter Townhall from 1:30-3:00pm CST. Please join us as we ask people to talk about why they find it important to recognize NWGHAAD. Follow us on Twitter (@RedPumpProj). Today, we will be tracking the use of the hashtags #RocktheRedPump and #NWGHAAD on our website.

As you honor NWGHAAD, we ask that you take the time to ask a friend and/or family member when is the last time that they've been tested. Knowing your status is such an important step in the fight against HIV/AIDS. For a list of HIV testing sites, you can visit hivtest.org.

Thank you again for all of support of The Red Pump Project and, more importantly, your commitment to the fight against AIDS. We're all making a difference one red pump (or flat) at a time. And we'll continue to do work that shows that "Awareness is Always in Style!™"

Luvvie & Karyn
The Red Pump Project Co-Founders

P.S. We're really looking forward to seeing the red pumps (or flats) you're all wearing today! Please upload pics to our Facebook Fan page or submit them to our Tumblr!

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Copyright © 2011 The Red Pump Project, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you either opted in at our website or at a Red Pump event. Or you know Luvvie or Karyn. Our mailing address is: The Red Pump Project P.O. Box 10827 Chicago, IL 60610 Add us to your address book