Step dancing, poetry reading and modeling filled the Martin Luther King Jr. Union Grand Ballroom Saturday to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS.

The performances were part of the Fifth Annual Red Show, hosted by New Student Programs and Student Community Service.

The show was aimed at raising awareness about the dangers and prevention of HIV and AIDS. The show raised more than $200 for the Greater Community AIDS Project and Partners in Health/HIV Equity Initiative, said Cordy Love, assistant director of New Student Programs.

Among a sea of red shirts and under the pink light of the Grand Ballroom, students presented their artistic and personal expressions about the diseases.

The night opened with a step performance by members of Delta Sigma Theta that echoed throughout the room and drew rousing yelps from the crowd.

The step performance was followed by an array of other performances, including modeling by students of red T-shirts they had designed to express their support for the fight against HIV and AIDS, as well as their support of people affected by the diseases.

Jalisa Israel, a junior communication studies major, performed her self-written spoken word poem titled “The Carrier.”

Taking on the persona of a mad, forceful woman, Israel spoke about punishing her friend by having sex with her friend’s boyfriend, leading to everyone being infected.

Israel said she hoped the poem was impactful enough to surprise the audience and make them think about HIV and AIDS.

“I hope that it did its job on EIU’s campus,” she said. “I hope that the poem helped to make people more aware of what’s going on around them.”

Attending the Red Show was Mike Benner, executive director Greater Community AIDS Project. He was thankful his organization was receiving funds from the show and for the awareness it was supporting.

He explained the Greater Community AIDS Project has served 10 area counties for 27 years and helps provide support for those with HIV and AIDS. The organization provides food assistance, financial assistance and housing assistance for those affected by the diseases.

Benner said Coles County is one of counties most affected by HIV and AIDS the organization serves.

“Of the 10 counties that GCAP serves, (Coles County) has the highest percentage of individuals that are both HIV positive and have an AIDS diagnosis,” he said.

The affects of the diseases are not well recognized, largely because Coles County is much more rural than other counties in the state.

“We are in a more rural part of the state, so people don’t really think of it as something that’s affecting us as seriously as, say, Chicago, but it really is,” he said.

The last performance of the night was a self-written poem by Andrea Grant, the associate residence director of Lawson Hall.

The poem, titled “A Woman Speaks to AIDS,” spoke frankly and powerfully about a woman trying to empathize with another person with AIDS and was a call to action for students to get tested.

Grant said she was glad to participate in the Red Show and welcomed the efforts of Eastern to support the fight against the diseases.

“I think it is great that EIU is showing their support in this kind of facet,” she said. “As a higher institution, we have to keep putting information out there.”

HIV and AIDS have a large impact on the African American community, Grant said. As a member of that community, Grant said she thought the diseases were something she needed to address.

However, she said HIV and AIDS is an epidemic that must be recognized and fought against by everyone, even if they are not of her race.

“I think it is a concern for the human race,” she said. “Their plight is my plight.”

Tim Deters can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].