ST. LOUIS — St. Louis University graduate student Tochcukwu Patrick decided to bring awareness to HIV/AIDS among women and girls using art and poetry.
Patrick created HerHealth HIV/AIDS Awareness Contest to raise awareness in honor of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on March 10. Artists and poets are being asked to demonstrate how they would promote HIV/AIDS to women in St. Louis.
"I had not seen a lot of attention towards women and girls who may be dealing with HIV/AIDS and may not know that you can get medication," Patrick said.
Patrick created a HerHealth page on Instagram, and she hopes it establishes a secure and informative space for women to enhance their understanding of HIV and comprehend its distinct impact on the female demographic within the St. Louis area.
"I want to continue this as a social media campaign," Patrick said. "So even if we're not doing the contest, we have people following the page and learning about what's going on and research. ... This is something I see as me stepping foot into HIV/AIDS research."
To enter the contest, entrants must meet the following qualifications: Identify as a woman; live in St. Louis; and fall between the ages of 18 and 30. The deadline to enter is March 3.
Submit your entry here.
Patrick shared with 5 On Your Side that Madison Petaway, a poet crowned Houston’s 2020 Youth Poet Laureate, plans to sit on the judging panel. She also enlisted the help of two fellow SLU students to manage the demands of the contest.
Patrick said the timing of this contest was "strategic" so that the winner will be announced at Korédé House on March 10 in conjunction with National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day.
