Soul artist Conya Doss who’s been gracing the covers of magazines nationwide this year since her latest CD, “A Pocketful of Purpose” will travel to Baltimore on October 17th to address HIV/AIDS among youth. Despite her hectic touring schedule and her current projects, Conya believes it is important to empower today’s youth to make better choices for themselves.
Doss has built a solid reputation over the years as the modern benchmark for young female artists and her recently released project Pocket Full of Purpose highlights that. Additionally, she is an avid philanthropist who is involved in mentoring youth, HIV/AIDS prevention, and raising awareness for the global water crisis and human trafficking.
According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention:
•In 2009, young persons accounted for 39% of all new HIV infections in the US. For comparison’s sake, persons aged 15-29 comprised 21% of the US population in 2010.
•An estimated 8,294 young persons were diagnosed with HIV infection in 2009 in the 40 states with long-term HIV reporting, representing about 20% of the persons diagnosed during that year.
•Seventy-five percent (6,237) of these diagnoses occurred in young people aged 20-24 years. Indeed, those aged 20-24 had the highest number and rate of HIV diagnoses of any age group (36.9 new HIV diagnoses/100,000 people).
Congratulations to Conya on joining the cause!
About BET: Rap-It-Up
Since 1998, Black Entertainment Television (BET) and the Kaiser Family Foundation have partnered on Rap It Up, a public information campaign addressing HIV/AIDS and related issues among African Americans. The campaign takes a cross-platform approach to distributing information, dispelling popular myths and misconceptions, reducing stigma and discrimination, and increasing HIV testing. Conya Doss joins Alicia Keys, Magic Johnson, Wyclef Jean, Rae Lewis Thornton, and Sheryl Lee Ralph just to name a few in helping the campaign reach vulnerable youth with HIV/AIDS prevention messages.
To learn more about the Rap-It-Up campaign visit www.rapituppresents.com.
