I’m Proudly Rocking the Red Pump Today!

I’m rocking some fierce red pumps today because tomorrow (March 10) is National Women & Girls’ HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NWGHAAD)! In March 2009, Karyn (The Fab Giver) and I launched The Red Pump Project to raise awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls. Our mission is to promote HIV prevention through education, and open dialogue about the issues that surround sexual and reproductive health.

We started by asking bloggers to “Rock the Red Pump™” and for people everywhere to put on their favorite pairs of red shoes to start conversation about the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls. We had no clue that it would grow into a national nonprofit that is doing work online and on the ground, and we’re extremely proud of how far we’ve come.

This is our 4th annual Rock the Red Pump® campaign, and we’ve been able to reach thousands of people in the U.S. and globally with our message of empowerment, through red shoes. We use the shoes to get your attention and normalize conversation around HIV/AIDS.

Part of the reason why we do what we do is because every 47 minutes, a woman tests positive for HIV in the United States. And the disease is 100% preventable, so it’s even more painful to see it take the lives of our mothers, sisters, aunts, nieces.

So on this day, I’m proudly rocking my red pumps to signify the courage and strength of women affected and infected with HIV/AIDS, along with hundreds of women around the web.

Join us! And check out more on The Red Pump Project (@RedPumpProj).

If you’re in red pumps (or flats or sneakers) today, upload pics to the Red Pump Facebook page. Who’s joining me and the other Red Pump Rockers?

Also follow Red Pump on Tumblr and Pinterest!