The (Missing) Faces of African American Girls with AIDS

Abstract

Although African American girls with Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) make up a significant portion of those now affected by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), their stories rarely appear in the mainstream media. Reflecting upon the reasons behind this absence, the few who are represented and the ways that more creative or fictional creations portray them reveal not just how HIV affects their health, but also how other social and political factors can help or hinder their lives. What we see (or do not see) about these girls and young women reveals how we need to work diligently to keep our eyes, ears, and minds open, becoming more fully aware of the individual person as well as the larger world in which she lives.