Devid Waggoner’s Frontdesk

Where celebrities go, photographers follow. (Or is it the other way around?) And journalists aren’t far behind. Celebrities are masters of PR. That’s why some local AIDS fundraising event gets picked up by the AP Newswire. Would we have heard about AIDS in southeast Asia quite as quickly if Richard Gere and Angelina Jolie hadn’t visited for the purpose of helping out and raising awareness? Oprah, with cameras in tow, visits AIDS orphans in South Africa, and suddenly the pandemic is the talk of coffee klatsches across America. That’s the power of celebrity. An upside, I guess. Stars make you stop and take notice of an unpopular cause; they draw you to a fundraising event you might not have otherwise attended.

That’s part of the idea behind one of the new columns debuting in A&U this month: The Scene. It’s a page of photographs from AIDS events around the country, from New Jersey to Nevada. Your eye might catch on actor Malik Yoba, but it’s really a chance to make visible all the hard work that the staff, volunteers, and supporters of ASOs around the country perform tirelessly and are celebrated far too infrequently. Like the Black AIDS Institute’s Heroes in the Struggle and Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team’s Womyn Warriors—these events honor those in their communities (some famous, and some not-so-famous) making a difference in the fight against AIDS. They allow us a chance to look back and take stock—but also to enjoy ourselves, to take in the soothing tones of some classical music or be entertained by the rhymes of an up-and-coming rapper.

We have enough stress in our everyday lives not to make room for little pleasures and those precious moments of rejuvenation. And that’s the subject of our other new column, Wellness Watch. On a regular basis, A&U will bring you alternative strategies for coping and treatment. Which herbs do what. How to get ready for your first massage. These are the therapies that traditionally connect mind, body, and spirit—that understand wellness as attending to all parts of our lives, not just the T cells and “bad” cholesterol that those trained in Western medicine seem to focus on. As with any alternative or complementary therapy, you should consult with your physician about possible interactions that might occur between, say, herbal remedies and HAART therapies. That’s Wellness 101, after all—it’s all related; paying attention to how one thing is related to another.

America relates to many things—not just the good causes—by identifying with the well-known. It is estimated that up to one-third of all AIDS service organizations wouldn’t survive if it weren’t for the thousands of celebrity-led AIDS walks, art auctions, awards ceremonies, and theater events that occur each year. That doesn’t quite surprise me, but it does amaze me. But for every celebrity saying a few words at the podium, there’s another hundred of us hardworking lesser-known volunteers and workers who empower AIDS organizations to help make a difference in the lives of the men, women, and children living and surviving with HIV. When America’s attention span for any one particular humanitarian cause often lasts about as long as the evening news, it’s important to realize the best way to keep AIDS on the front page and not just in the arts and entertainment section is to make the necessary connections between AIDS fundraising and HIV awareness.

In this season of Oscar, dear readers, take time to celebrate your achievements and make time to de-stress and re-energize. Attend an event, but, first, attend to your own wellness.     

Feburary 2005