SUMMER 2000 VOL.7 Ur b a n Tren d s A quarterly newsletter published by HIV TESTING – Why It's Such A Hard Sell

ar ound and see that there is very little social support in minority communities for HIV-positive people. They fear hav- ing to disclose a positive HIV status to people they care about.

•HI V Cost and difficulty in gaining access to drug assistance and other he a l t h c a r e programs keep some from get- ting tested. People who feel that they can’t get health insurance or affo r d treatment if they test positive often don’t bother.

•HI V Many minorities have a deep- seated mistrust in the medical commu- ni t y – g r ounded in the history of such things as the infamous Tu s k e g e e experiments and fears of genocide. Despite the fact that the overall • Pr evention effo r ts centered on number of AIDS cases is down acros s sc a r e tactics have backfired and led to •HI V Traditions of pride and machismo, the United States, the number of HIV a fearful public that sees little value in common to men in the African infections is rising steadily among testing. People are in denial or have American and Latino community, mean become fatalistic that testing will only ce r tain populations. Initially thought of that honest discussions between sexu- co n f i r m a possible death sentence: "If I al partners about sex, adultery, and as a disease affecting gay white men, do n ’ t know, I don’t have to deal with it." STDs, are out of the question–a situa- today's reality is that HIV has over- tion that often discourages women whelmingly spread within communi- •HI V The pervasive perception of HIV fr om getting tested, and prevents early ties of color, affecting men, women as a moral issue (God’s punishment for di s c o v e r y of their HIV status. and children. at-risk or promiscuous behavior), rather than a public health issue, causes many •HI V Most women of color look at The first step in helping to prevent the not to protect themselves or get tested. themselves as caregivers first, and do sp r ead of HIV/AIDS is to know one's not always prioritize their time in orde r •HI V Individuals do not envision HIV status–either positive or negative. to take care of themselves. For women themselves as members of a risk grou p and others living in poverty , the strug - Ho w e v e r , for most people, HIV testing or as being at risk. Even today, many gle for daily survival may take prec e - means having to think about and deal believe that AIDS is a disease of well- dence over concerns about HIV infec- with deeply personal issues - intimate of f, gay, white males. Many say to tion, whose impact may not be seen for relationships, sexual behavior and themselves, "If I don’t fit that prof i l e , several years. even one’s own morta l i t y . The chal- then I’m not in danger." lenge is to convince members of the •HI V With MSMs (men who have sex •HI V They fear a lack of anonymity most affected communities that with men) of color, HIV testing cam- and/or confidentiality during testing. paigns targeted for the gay community choosing to get tested, reg a r dless of When people of color walk into a facility ar e not successful, because these the results, is beneficial to their health, pe r ceived to be "White," there is a feeling men, who often are married or still have and the health of their community. of exposure. In addition, there are fears relationships with women, tend to iden- of facing racism and homophobia at tify primarily with their ethnic/racial affi l - MEE has been res e a r ching these testing facilities where staffs have not iation, and, in many ways, think like a issues for a number of years, developed cultural sensitivity to inner city "typical" heterosexual male. clients. People want to go where they attempting to identify some of the feel they will be treated with res p e c t . •HI V Lack of knowledge about test- major obstacles to HIV testing within ing proc e d u r es, fear of blood and nee- at-risk populations. We have found •HI V They fear losing their partn e r s , dles, along with rumors about HIV several reasons that it’s such a hard family and if they go in for test- infection through testing keeps many sell to convince people to get tested: ing, or if they test positive. They look potential testers away. ...Continued on page 2 Of f th e S h e l f i Contrary to popular belief, a large number of teens actually want to quit Tha : The Times, Trials and smoking. However, many of them have difficulty in succeeding, in part, because Hardcore Truths of , William most cessation programs are geared towards adults. "There is a mythology out Morrow and Co., 1999 there that teen smokers don’t want to stop," says Dr. Richard Hurt of the Mayo Snoop on the movies: Clinic. "That is not true. We just don’t know how to help them very well." "Maybe The Godfather had bigger stars and a megabudget, but the message A 1992, University of Massachusetts study found that 52% of 10th grade smokers wasn’t all that different from Superfly. surveyed had already tried to quit two or more times. Twenty-five percent of the ...Whites might see a movie, get them- teens felt they were addicted, and nearly half were concerned about their health. selves a good look at all the sex and vio- lence and the way the story shows how Un f o rt u n a t e l y , it appears to be much harder for teens to quit than it is for their adult does crime pay, then they go home to co u n t e r p a r ts. Whereas the average adult "quit rate" after a behavioral cessation pro- their houses and turn on their personal gram (not using nicotine aids like the patch) is 50%, for teens the average is closer to security system and get a good night’s 7- 1 0 % . sleep...A black might see the same movie then head on back to the ghetto, where the cops are looking for any excuse to The social aspect of smoking is the main reason why it is so difficult for teens to drag his a** off to jail...and half the quit. In social groups where peer pressure dominates, friendships are often brothers he knows are either in jail, on formed through smoking. Another deterrent, especially among teen , is the p a role or dead...We ’ re all getting the accompanying weight gain that comes with cessation. In fact, many teen girls same message. It’s just that some of us start smoking in order to control their weight. It is clear that, when it comes to have got more reason than others to young people, the power of peer pressure and social smoking must be challenged believe in it." in order to significantly impact behavior change. Ur b an Tren d s (Los Angeles Times) This newsletter is printed under the registered trademark of MEE Productions Inc. and should not be reproduced, reprinted, or distributed without the express permission of MEE Productions Inc. Permission to photocopy for Internal use can be granted by calling MEE Productions Inc. at 215.829.4920.

APUBLICATION OF MEE PRODUCTIONS INC. 340 N. 12th Street, 5th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107 E-mail: [email protected] www.meeproductions.com Black and White Television: What Are We Watching?

To win meaningful ratings, pro- reported that they only started to ducing a television show that watch these shows when they hit appeals to urban markets must syndication, where African Americans be accompanied by a culturally- do most of their sitcom viewing. relevant campaign to assure B e f o re that, their awareness of viewership. MEE has combined such shows was low or non-existent. responses from focus groups and surveys with our insights Changing the f rom years of working with Marketing Focus African American youth and African Americans we talked to adults in entertainment market- said they rarely "channel surfed." ing to develop strategic recom- Instead of just flipping channels, mendations for reaching the looking for new programs, they urban demographic. turn on the television to watch a specific program. That increases TV Viewing Habits the importance of developing alter- native forms of program promo- MEE has found that television- among our focus group participants. Soap tion—promotions that do not necessarily viewing decisions of African Americans, operas were the most popular programs reach people in front of the TV, but rather especially in prime time (8-11 p.m.), are during mid-day. largely made based on race. This is partic- when they are out of their homes and in their communities. ularly true when it comes to half-hour situ- T h e re is a perception among African ation comedies, which Blacks often name Americans that there is no programming as their favorite kind of TV pro g r a m . Promoting Programming that will appeal to them on the "Big Three" to Urban Audiences Favorite shows among African Americans, networks. Instead, participants report that not surprisingly, are those with a predomi- they find themselves watching more cable Take It To the Community nantly Black cast, including The Steve programming (especially HBO) or movies Find ways to promote to urban au- Harvey Show, The Wayans, and Moesha. (including pay-per-view). Since Blacks diences from "within the community," by As a result, fa-vorite stations were usually have turned off the networks for their sit- having co-promotions with local radio and UPN, the WB Network and Fox, in that com viewing, the gap between the shows television stations. Get people involved. order, because of the African American that African Americans and Whites watch Go to their barber shops, hair and nail programming offered. Fox was less likely is wider than ever. (See chart.) to be men-tioned for sitcoms, but came salons, re c o rd stores and malls. Give away cool items that promote the name up frequently for sports (among males) Interestingly, most of the focus groups’ and theme of your show. and for shows such as Ally McBeal, favorite programs were in syndication. Beverly Hills 90210 and Party of Five Over the last few years, our participants Be Authentic (among women). have begun to list more "mainstream" To make shows more appealing to an shows like Friends or among urban audience, promotions must reflect The news is the most-watched show their favorite programs. However, they their lifestyle, language, and music. In authen- ti c marketing will turn off the audience, Top 7 Shows for Black Viewers Top 7 Shows for White Viewers and you may never get a second ch a n c e to reach out to them, once the effo r t has (UPN) Who Wants to Be A Millionaire* - T ues. (ABC) been branded as corny or offe n s i v e . Monday Night Football (ABC) Who Wants to Be Millionaire-Thur. (ABC) Integrate the Cast City of Angels (CBS) ER (NBC) It may seem obvious, but audiences are m o re into programs where they see Moesha (UPN) Who Wants to Be A Millionaire-Sun.(ABC) characters that they can relate to. Even a single African American character who Grown Ups (UPN) (NBC) has some significant "face time" could The Steve Harvey Show (WB) Friends (NBC) make a big difference in increasing the overall popularity of a show. Malcom and Eddie (UPN) Monday Night Football (ABC)

* 8th highest popular show among African Americans Source: Nielsen Media Research/Philadelphia Inquirer UT – 5 – HIV Testing (continued) chance to begin practicing safer sex Fr o m Th e E d i t o r In spite of these and other barriers, the and to eliminate the behaviors that need for HIV testing has now become may have been putting them at risk in This issue, covering the spectrum of paramount, due to the severity of the the first place. urban life, is full of MEE’s re s e a rc h - HIV/AIDS epidemic within African based, up-to-date information about American and Latino communities. In either scenario, testing can help put reaching and influencing residents of Ho w e v e r , HIV testing effo r ts will be a stop to the ravages of this deadly America’s inner cities. With new preven- futile without active community "buy-in" disease by: 1) helping to stop the tion initiatives from the Centers for and involvement, in which testing sp r ead of the disease by those who Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) becomes a socially acceptable norm may not know they are infected; 2) for every sexually active individual. Too enabling those who are already infect- focusing on HIV antibody testing, MEE many testing promotion pro g r a m s ed to obtain drug treatment as early as shares some of the latest challenges make assumptions based on possible in the disease's prog re s s i o n ; we’ve un c o v e r ed while designing HIV Eu r ocentric worldviews, and on cultur- and 3) helping pregnant women testing promotion campaigns for various al or social class values not ref l e c t i v e receive treatment in order to prot e c t urban populations. of the life situation of urban people their unborn children . of color. Also in this issue, we preview MEE’s Ul t i m a t e l y , a successful HIV testing Yet, there is room for hope. Tes t i n g campaign can result in more open dis- upcoming series of parents’ guides, as positive no longer means a "death sen- cussions around the issues of HIV pre- we talk to caregivers about what it’s like tence," because antiret r oviral thera- vention and treatment, and save the trying to raise a son or daughter in the pies are allowing HIV-infected people lives of thousands of people who are midst of the hip-hop revolution. We’ve to live longer, healthier lives. Those cu r rently at-risk. heard a lot about the digital divide when who test negative have a second UT it comes to computer access, but when you examine the television viewing habits i The federal government is expected to release its 2000 Dietary Guidelines for of Black and White America, respective- Americans soon, yet the report has already sparked a firestorm of controversy. The ly, you’ll see that Sunday morning church document, which seeks to lower the rising levels of sugar consumption in American services aren’t the only things that remain diets, reads, "Choose beverages and foods that limit your intake of sugars." This effectively segregated. The article on wording has the sugar and soft drink industries up in arms, along with 30 United page 5 spells out some of the reasons. States Senators. They claim that this wording will greatly influence consumer-buy- And for a bit of international flair, a ing practices, which will adversely affect their business. Parisian journalist confi r ms what we’ve These industries are lobbying for the government to maintain its previous stance: been saying all along: that hip-hop is every- to moderate sugar intake. "It sounds like a small change in language, when you wh e r e, and is still growing stron g ! consider the word moderate versus limited, but it is a big thing," says Sean McBride, a spokesman for the National Soft Drink Association. "Limit has a nega - I hope you enjoy this issue. tive connotation that you should restrict or possibly even avoid a certain type of product. Moderate means you can have it. It is acceptable. It can fit into a bal- anced diet." The industries’ main objection is that it has not been scientifically proven that sugar is the cause behind America’s expanding waistline.

Between 1982 and 1998, Americans have increased their annual sugar consump- Pamela M. Weddington tion by 29%, or 35 pounds per person. In 1998, each American consumed a recor d [email protected] average of 155 pounds of the sweetener. Meanwhile, the battle over America’s sweet tooth rages on. (Philadelphia Inquirer) UrbanTrends is published quarterly by MEE Productions Inc. (Motivational Educational Entertainment) President & Publisher Wh a t ’s Next... THE MEE WEB SITE AT Coming to you in the next Ivan Juzang HTTP://WWW.MEEPRODUCTIONS.COM Editor issue of UrbanTrends... Pamela Weddington We will explore such topics as: WILL OFFER FULL-TEXT SEARCH Contributing Writers AND RETRIEVAL FROM OUR SheyeN-Chibcha MOVIE MARKETING: A STRONG Thierry Fortune OPENING WEEKEND RESEARCH ARCHIVES. Joshua Horowitz BLACK LEADERSHIP: WHO QUALIFIES William Juzang WITH URBAN YOUTH @ Marie Onwuachi PASSWORD = MOTIVATE Richard VALUING AFRICAN AMERICAN FEMALES IN DATING RELATIONSHIPS

– 2 – Raising A Hip-Hop Adolescent

like a gentle giant. I Don’t Wait personally would want While reports have recommended to take him to school that the best time to start discussing and pick him up, to tough issues with children is make sure that he’s OK." between 10 and 12, our parents felt that waiting that long is a mistake: Respect "You can’t avoid it, they’re going to P a rents were also hear about it anyway." Around drugs concerned about the for example, parents felt that you fact that young peo- should start talking to children even ple do not seem to before school age, as early as three have respect for their years old. They recommended, as elders any more, that e x p e rts do, however, that you they don’t re s p e c t address the subjects in an age- each other, and that appropriate manner. they don’t have enough respect for Parents don’t have a lot of faith that themselves. These their children will get the information days, parents say, too they need from the schools. Besides many young people feeling that schools are performing think the only way to poorly in terms of meeting the basic achieve respect is educational needs of Black stu- t h rough violence or dents, materials that parents have It’s never easy raising a child. intimidation, acting "badder" or seen are too "facts-only" oriented and don’t reflect the daily cultural But when you’re trying to do it showing more attitude than the next person. reality of their lives. in the face of street violence, p o v e rt y, racism, and other Mixed Messages Making A Difference realities of urban life, it doesn’t Parents realize that young people P a rents are looking for support , get any easier. Many parents get a lot of information outside of guidance and tools to help them raising the "hip-hop generation" the home, and that many teens arm their children with basic knowl- identify with rap videos and music, edge and real information. Hip-hop are doing it in single-parent movies and television shows that adolescents need parents to give households, trying to cope with glorify drug use and promiscuity. them some real, authentic and less money and more stres s . "Some kids out there who see respect-maintaining tools for han- Yet they are still determined to those videos and don’t have a dling peer pressure and other chal- lenges they face. Yo u t h - s e rv i c e do what they can to give their responsible adult talking in their ear, will look at that and think, ‘Hey, p roviders and community-based ch i l d r en the best chance to that’s the way the world is’," said organizations should produce mate- su r vive, and even thrive. Charles, who has an adult daugh- rials and programs to support par- ter and several younger children. ents, who want to be able to com- municate effectively with their chil- MEE recently conducted focus They are being fooled, however, he says. "They don’t know that dren, but are not always sure how to gr oups with inner city paren t s these rappers live a completely do it. to assess the challenges of d i ff e rent life than the video is raising a hip-hop adolescent. showing. That’s an image." By working together, parents and All of them were raising at other caregivers can come together to share strategies, give each other least one child between the Parents, they feel, can either say nothing and let their childre n ’s support, and develop joint solutions ages of 10 and 17. peers and the media fill their on how the "inner city village" can do heads with inaccurate, often unin- a better job of raising the hip-hop Safety formed information, or they can generation. Some of the challenges The most important issue of concern take the lead, and try to present may be unique, but ultimately par- to them, by far, was the safety of the facts, along with their own ents still want the best for their kids: their children on the street and in experiences, and their moral val- "You can’t be around them all the school. They were struck by the fact ues about the tough issues. Even time," said Rodney, father of a that their children are in danger of on subjects where it may not be teenaged daughter, "and their life is being victimized by violence on any easy to talk to kids or where they their own. So when they’re growing day, at any time. Marsha, a correc- did not have a lot of "factual" or up, all you can do is just love them tional officer, knows the emotional scientific information, parents are as much as you can. And if they stress. "My son just recently got d e t e rmined to be proactive, in respect you, they’ll respect what jumped in school," she said. "He’s order to increase their children’s you say." 12 years old, but he’s 6-3, and he’s chances of survival. UT – 3 – HIP HOP in France, 2000 You K n o w ? PARIS—In France, hip-hop is still alive, Many young rappers are inspired by the Di d growing and more powerful than ever. Its cool, funny style of rapper MC Solaar. The essence and energy are still ruling our hip-hop community begins putting itself i The influence of urban music con- lives. No violence is involved. Just danc- together. tinues its extension to the silver ing, painting walls, MC-ing and DJ-ing. The ’90’s screen. The list of rap and R&B per- f o rmers to make the leap to film Here are a few of our More and more young people begin to careers is rapidly growing: from main- hip-hop milestones: identify themselves as members of the hip- hop community. They don’t know its histo- stream acts like Ice Cube, LL Cool J, 1982-1984 ry or beginning in the streets of America’s Will Smith and Queen Latifah, to "hard- Hip-hop arrives in France, slowly but delib- inner cities, but they don’t really care. With er" stars like Method Man, Redman, Q- erately. It starts with dance, as a few the success of "gangsta" rap fro m Tip, RZA, Raekwon, and to divas Mary J. youngsters in Paris and its suburbs watch America’s West Coast, young "frenchies" Blige, Erykah Badu and Aaliyah. U.S. music videos, start to memorize the follow a new, more aggressive kind of rap. steps and movements and re p ro d u c e This differs from the non-violent, Zulu Na- Most of these artists see film as a way tion ideology followed by the first genera- them in front of ever-growing crowds on to expand their star power. Meanwhile, street corners. With the 1984 release of tion of rappers. Now, glory and money are the only things that matter. the studios see popular hip-hoppers as the movies Breakin’ and Flashdance, the a way to produce bigger ret u r ns at the dance aspect of hip-hop explodes. Paris Today box office and boost sales for a film’s City Breakers, the first French B-boy crew, so u n d t r a c k . is born. Tradition is being passed down to a new generation of hip-hoppers who have 19 8 5 - 1 9 8 8 begun to "get props" internationally, even But not everyone is overjoyed with "H - I - P - H - O - P ," the first national TV show performing and collaborating with New these recent developments. Vet e r a n s dedicated to breakdancing, debuts. Every York City artists. In the South of France, such as Samuel Jackson are concerne d Su n d a y , millions of French youth sit in fron t rap with a more intellectual flair has that these untrained actors are stealing of the tube to watch their favorite show. emerged. France’s biggest theaters are roles that otherwise would be available opening their doors to hip-hop entertain- Even then, despite its popularity acros s to legitimate actors who have worked, ment and shows, including the Bastille socioeconomic lines, most people think trained and struggled for a chance to hip-hop is a fad that will soon fade away. To Opera of Paris, which has hosted break- dancers. Graffiti, which has faded a bit as act in film rol e s . the French media, its fans are just "lost" (Vibe) people from the suburbs with too much a hip-hop phenomenon in America, is still time on their hands. Fortu n a t e l y , everyo n e alive and very present in France. It’s most- do e s n ’ t buy into that myth. ly underground, and ignored by the main- stream media. i Puerto Ricans are not doing as well 1989-1990 as other U.S. Hispanics when it comes The first album releases, by French hip- The future of hip-hop in France is bright. to their health, according to a recent The positive ideology of the early days is hoppers Supreme NTM and Little MC, study by the National Center for Health e m e rge. People and re c o rd labels still often forgotten, but those who remain true to the tradition are winning over more and Statistics. They had more doctor’s vis- don’t know what to make of that energy, its, hospital stays and sick days off more converts to the cause. UT but they know something is happening. f rom work or school than other Hispanic groups studied, which includ- ed Mexican-Americans and Cuban Americans. Public health implications i Traditionally relegated to the roles of villain or sidekick, Asian and African are significant, especially in light of the American actors and actresses are now starting to get top billing in commercial - explosive growth of America’s Hispanic ly and critically-successful films. In fact, both Hollywood and independent film- population over the last two decades, makers are beginning to explore a mix of African American and Asian cultures. now at around 11% of the total. The biggest commercial example this year, Romeo Must Die, features Hong Kong H o w e v e r, Hispanic public health martial arts star Jet Li opposite up-and-coming R&B artist Aaliyah, in a retelling experts say the study could reinforce of the classic Romeo and Juliet theme. stereotypes that Hispanics, who tend to have lower incomes than other In a much different approach, maverick director Jim Jarmusch’s latest offering, Americans, are in poorer health. They Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai, stars Forest Whitaker as an inner-city mob point out that Hispanics live longer on hit man who follows bushido, the traditional code of the Japanese samurai. These average than whites, and Hispanic recent developments can be traced back to the success of 1998’s Rush Hour, women have lower rates of breast cancer. which teamed perennial action favorite Jackie Chan with comedian Chris Tuc k e r , to the tune of $141 million in the bank. Buoyed that success, Hollywood (Associated Press) action films are starting to globalize. Marquees may never be the same. (Vibe) h

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