The Shaker Heights “bubble” is often referred to as ideal living conditions: high levels of diversity, nice houses, and a location outside of a major city.  With one of the highest tax rates in Ohio, Shaker is a typical suburban area except for one quality: race. Our school district is 55% black, and I have been exposed to many different types of cultures and races in my lifetime in Shaker. Many of the people I have met have defied the stereotype of their race. I know Shaker well, having lived there for most of my life and being active in the school district which gave me an accurate perspective of Shaker’s economic and racial layout.  I believe that because I am an active member of the community as well as because of the education I received in Shaker, I was able to correctly asses the number of people in my city who have contracted HIV/AIDS. My guess of 56 cases was substantially close to the true 45 cases of those infected in Shaker Heights since 1980.

My experiences in high school are certainly the second most influential factor in my understanding of AIDS. Shaker Heights High School is a very diverse community. The high school has a population that i over 50% black, as well as a mixture of Asian, Hispanic and international students. We have one of the most open and receptive high schools in the country: for instance, my senior homecoming queen was a male. My class was definitely sexually active and there were a few pregnancies and abortions that occurred in my four years in Shaker. All but one was a part of the African American population. I noticed the general black population’s swiftness in partaking in sexual activities in middle school but it did not stop there. In high school, the black population, especially male, was more vocal about having sex which drew more attention and caused more problems then the gay or white communities.

According to a study of the high risk behaviors of African Americans, younger black males “show more ‘braggadocio’ particularly in regards to sexual conquests and control” (8).  They also dislike using a condom during sex, focusing on their “personal satisfaction and concern for ‘getting theirs’” (8).  This is definitely a factor that caused me to overlook the gay population when asked which Cleveland neighborhood had the highest rate of those infected with HIV/AIDS. I immediately wrote down the impoverished, mainly black neighborhood of Fairfax. After reading that the prominently gay neighborhood of Edgewater had an overwhelmingly high rate compared to the rest of the city, I realized I had completely overlooked one of the high risk groups of people. It is evident that I was misguided because the AIDS rate of Fairfax is only 870 per 100,000 while the community of Edgewater holds a rate of 1866.8 per 100,000.  I also found support for my reasoning in an article published in June 2006 titled AIDS is becoming a Disease of the poor. Featured in the front page of the Cleveland newspaper, The Plain Dealer, this article described the threat of AIDS to African Americans, stating that “AIDS organizations increasingly say that the growing threat in the black community requires swift and decisive attention” (3).

As a member of student council, I was required to volunteer at our schools monthly blood drive. On my first day I was assigned the task to hand out forms and questionnaires to prospective donors, a standard requirement for all people giving blood. After reviewing the first form, I was distressed at the statement that said “no sexual interactions with a member of the same sex.” I had never been aware that gays were not allowed to donate blood. With every blood drive, my mind became more acclimated to the idea that homosexuals were more at risk because of their sexual behaviors.  When I approximated the percentage of those living with HIV/AIDS where the infection resulted from heterosexual transmission, I guessed 20 %. The correct answer was 27% which is comparable to the nation’s 28.7% according to a study done by the CDC in 2000 (7). One reason I guessed a little low for heterosexual transmission is because I knew that homosexuals are prone to more unprotected sexual activities, which is even taken as a precaution in the medical community.