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The HIV/AIDS awareness play “It’s
Your Life” is performed at churches, schools, and other venues in Syracuse. It
was written by substitute teacher Gloria Clarke as a way to address the growing
epidemic in the African-American community.
“It seems every few months I was
preparing to take something to a family or helping a family because they were
burying a loved one from AIDS,” said Clarke, who came up with the idea to write
the play in the mid-1990s. “I’m on a mission to educate our youth about HIV and
AIDS. Our young people relate to entertainment - be it drama or music. They
will pay attention.”
The play’s volunteer actors range in
age from 10 to 75. Props for the sets are borrowed from local businesses. “We
want it to look real,” Clarke said of the play’s scenes. “It’s happening right
out here in the streets. We’re talking about saving lives. A lot of people
don’t want to talk about it, but we take it personally.”
The Rev. George M. Jones, pastor of
Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ, where the play was presented on May 4, called
the characters memorable. One, “Big Momma” - played by 75-year-old retired
nurse Alice Bell - addresses the audience after the death of the play’s main character.
“I want to say to each and every young person in the audience, this could be
you,” she says.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
