THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, July 16, 1994 TAG: 9407160257
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DENISE WATSON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: Long : 107 lines
Folks in downtown Portsmouth know they can go into the Designer Touch beauty salon for a cool seat, good conversation and an elegant French roll at a reasonable price.
But recently, they have been leaving with white bags filled with AIDS booklets, discount coupons and condoms.
``I have a lot of people who sit in this chair and they have the virus,'' owner Charlotte Stokes said while arranging AIDS pamphlets with her hairstyling books.
``We have a lot of poverty-stricken in the community infected, and they don't know it. . . . It's something we need to talk about it. We need to be aware of what's going on.''
Stokes is part of Project HAIR - HIV/AIDS Information Resource - sponsored by the Portsmouth/West Chesapeake chapter of the American Red Cross and the Urban League of Hampton Roads.
Members hope to educate African-American women about AIDS and HIV by going where they know they will find the women - beauty salons.
The Designer Touch beauty salon pulls in clients from all parts of Hampton Roads, Tuesday through Saturday. Most are ages 16 to 40.
They come in, ask for their roller-sets, settle into seats and talk about children, husbands, work. It doesn't take long for the conversation to move toward something else - how You-Know-Who is always sick and how the woman down the street, the one who was married to a drug user, looks so much thinner.
``You'd be surprised how widespread AIDS is in our area,'' Stokes said. ``We talk about it because we talk about things in our community.
``I can tell them now about the signs and symptoms, ways to prevent it. We have others who say, `Keep those people away from me,' and I can tell them you can't catch it from sitting next to a person, or hugging them.''
Stylists in the program are taught to handle questions from the most technical to the most personal.
``A man is abusing his wife,'' Stokes said. ``Who can she tell? She thinks, `I can't tell my mom, but I can go to my beautician and she'll keep my confidence.'
``And they share a lot of things with me.''
The program is modeled after a similar one in South Carolina, and follows the principle that personal subjects can best be tackled where people feel comfortable.
``We felt beauty salons see more black females than hospitals or doctors in one week,'' said Regina Christopher-Clemons, coordinator for Health and Safety Services of the American Red Cross. The local Red Cross program is being funded by the national Red Cross office and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
``Plus, the beauty salon is an environment where a lot of discussion takes place, a place where women feel comfortable talking about relationships, sex, predominantly because men aren't there.''
The program couldn't come soon enough. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources, women represent the fastest-growing group reporting AIDS, and the rate for African-American women was 14 times higher than the rate for white women in 1990.
In 1989, HIV infection was the leading cause of death in women 25 to 44. In New York and New Jersey, it is the No. 1 killer of African-American women 15 to 44.
Project HAIR was launched in January. So far, several stylists have signed up for the 24-hour training course. The Red Cross has volunteers to instruct salon operators and educate teenagers 12 to 19 to talk to young patrons.
But some of the salon owners haven't been receptive, one volunteer said.
``Some have said they were not concerned. . . . But one of the reasons why it's increasing in the community is because we don't have the necessary information,'' said Ezell Battle, a Red Cross volunteer.
``Black females have supported each other through thick and thin, and to turn your back because of this disease is a shame. We're still in denial, but this is something we really need to talk about and get out in the open.''
Linda Jones, owner of Classic Hair Design in Portsmouth, said she worried that the subject matter would hurt business.
``I didn't want to get involved with the condom issue and the kids. . . . Plus, I have women in here in their 50s and 60s,'' Jones said. ``How do you approach this subject around them?''
But Jones said she changed her mind when she realized the prevalence of the problem.
``I won't have condoms here, but it's a big issue and we need to face the fact it's out there and we have to do something about it.''
Stokes said she'll do what she needs to do to curb the problem. Red Cross volunteers go door-to-door in the neighboring Ida Barbour housing district to encourage women to take advantage of the discount at the salon. Stokes makes sure her booklets on AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases don't get lost in the shuffle of magazines. She said she might take the silk flowers out of the basket beside the hair dryer and fill it with condoms.
``I just love people,'' said Stokes, who is also a pastor in Newport News. ``I know God put man on this Earth with all sorts of diseases, and we have to reach out.
``If this business folds tomorrow because I've reached out to someone with AIDS, I don't worry because He will take care of me and I've done what I needed to do.'' MEMO: For more information on the program or how to become a volunteer,
contact Regina Christopher-Clemons at 393-1031.
ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by IAN MARTIN, Staff
Linda Jones, owner of Classic Hair Design in Portsmouth, says she
hesitated joining Project HAIR - which educates African-American
women about AIDS - but changed her mind, because ``we need to face
the fact it's out there and we have to do something about it.''
KEYWORDS: AIDS by CNB