[Posted Dec. 26, 2007]

Could Buying A Franchise Be In Your Future?

By Tuala Williams
Special to the NNPA from the Dallas Examiner

DALLAS (NNPA)—Dr. M. Joycelyn Elders shocked America following her 1993 appointment as the first black surgeon general to the United States.
    Appointed by then Pres. Bill Clinton, she was embraced throughout the country for her fresh perspective on health, medicine and feminine equality, not to mention her impressive resume.
    Her progression to surgeon general seemed natural, but like Bill and Hillary Clinton, her biggest fans, she was not afraid of controversy. She raised the ire of conservative Americans with widely published and televised statements about abortion, sexuality and drugs—all controversial issues in the 90’s.
    During her term, she also argued for the legalization of drugs and was an advocate for gay rights.
    Apparently, America wasn’t ready for Elders. She was allegedly fired for, “values contrary to the administration.”
But the question remains, was Elders totally off-base or was she merely ahead of her time?
   Elders spoke out recently at a Dallas World AIDS Day luncheon hosted by AIDS Arms and nine other Ryan White funded AIDS organizations. The unprecedented collaboration was successful in drawing over 500 attendees to the event, held at the Hilton-Anatole Hotel. Prior to the luncheon, guests were allowed to visit the exhibit where the famous quilt dedicated to those who have lost their lives to AIDS was displayed. It is the largest ongoing community arts project in the world. In the U.S., over 550,394 people died from AIDS related complications during the period of 2001-2005.
    No doubt, the large attendance was, in part, due to the presence of the still outspoken and controversial Elders, who has remained an advocate for the prevention and intervention of HIV/AIDS. Despite her termination as surgeon general, she continues to stand by her early statements, repeating many of her views during the luncheon and receiving a standing ovation following her speech.
She said the most important thing she wanted attendees to take with them was that HIV/AIDS is a disease that is still with us. There is no cure and it does not discriminate. She said 51 percent of the new diagnosis last year were people who looked like her, emphasizing that the faces of the disease has changed since the days when it was considered a largely gay-white male disease.
Citing statistics of those suffering with the disease who do not have appropriate medical care, Elders said America has “absolutely the best sick care system in the world, but no health care system.”
   
 

Dr. M. Joycelyn Elders

   Stating that America has a sexually unhealthy society, Elders emphasized the fact that humans are sexual beings, yet, she said we don’t talk about sex enough. “We walk around and we say, well, ignorance is bliss and we misinterpret ignorance for innocence. We’ve got to start educating our children,” she said, introducing her “ABC” list for sexual education. 

   “A—abstinence; B—be faithful; C —latex condoms, D—do other things, i.e., masturbation”
    Elders, during her term as surgeon general, advocated the distribution of condoms in public schools. In response to the argument that condoms break, Elders responds, “Vows of abstinence break far more often than latex condoms.”
   Elders still suggests that masturbation be taught in schools as part of their sexual education, the goal being to prevent teenage pregnancy and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.
Masturbation, Elders says, is normal and healthy, “80-plus percent of women and 90 percent of men masturbate and the rest lie,” she told the audience at the luncheon. In light of the HIV/AIDS scare sweeping America, she advocates self-stimulation as the safest form of sex, guaranteed to prevent infection.
According to CDC’s 2003 Youth Risk Behavioral Survey, “47 percent of high school students have had sexual intercourse, and 7.4 percent of them reported first sexual intercourse before age 13.” An estimated 4,883 young people received a diagnosis of HIV infection or AIDS in 2004, representing about 13 percent of the persons diagnosed that year, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. African- American youth are disproportionately affected by HIV infection; accounting for 55 percent of all HIV infections reported among persons aged 13 – 24 in 2004, the CDC stated.
    She encouraged everyone to take responsibility to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS, saying that everyone can do something. “It may be reading to somebody, it may be taking them a meal or offering them a warm blanket or getting up and speaking out during difficult times. But whatever you do, make sure you do your share.” 

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