Vivian Clark- Armstead is a shining light into the darkness of shame and stigma surrounding those, especially in the African- American community, infected with the HIV/AIDS virus. In September 1996, Ms. Clark- Armstead lost her sister, Angela, to the HIV/AIDS virus.

She says her sister, Angela was a "very pretty woman, 38 years old with one daughter and three grandchildren. She was a fun loving person, laughing at her own inability to do things she once did. Never complaining, never blaming the man who infected her, only hoping this would not happen to another human being."

After her sister's death, Ms. Clark- Armstead resolved within herself that if she was not part of the solution, she was part of the problem.

Ms. Clark- Armstead worked for several years in public health and finally joined the staff of the S.C. HIV/AIDS Council (SCHAC) under the directorship of Dr. Bambi Gaddist, who founded the non- profit in 1995.

She now works as coordinator of the HIV/AIDS testing services for the S.C. HIV/AIDS Council. Free testing is offered at the site on 1115 Calhoun St, in Columbia, S.C. A mobile unit also travels the state offering free testing at various locations.

The Center for Disease Control reports the following national statistics with 33 states reporting:

• In 2005, about half (49%) of all people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS were black.

• Among men, 41% of men living with HIV/AIDS were black.

• Among women, 64% of women living with HIV/AIDS were black.

According to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, from January to December 2006 Columbia was ranked sixth in number of AIDS cases by metropolitan statistical area. Richland County was ranked #1 in AIDS cases and annual rates per 100,000 population by county in S.C. for January - December 2007.

The South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council's message is that this is a silent epidemic right among us. Ms. Clark- Armstead claims the disease is met by "silence; the families are silent, the black church is silent, parents are silent, leadership is silent, the government is silent, media is silent, no one is talking about the epidemic in black America. Not then and not now!"

Ms. Clark- Armstead says she feels her sister, Angela, would be proud of the work she has chosen. "There is still so much work to be done, lives to save, people to educate, minds to enlighten, and hearts to touch. This is a human condition that can be prevented."

To learn more about the South Carolina HIV/ AIDS Council and its programs please contact Dr. Bambi Gaddist at 254-6644.