MEMPHIS, TN - A well known Memphis rapper is putting on a free concert for at least 1,000 Memphis City Schools students. The only catch is you have to get tested for HIV. The largest school district in the state is teaming up with rapper Yo Gotti to encourage young people to get tested for HIV.
There are more than 5,900 people living with HIV or AIDS in Memphis and Shelby County. About 1/3 of the cases involve young people between the ages of 15 and 34. It’s a number Henry Johnson with the Memphis Health Center says is growing because people are afraid to get tested. Johnson hopes tickets to see Yo Gotti will help numb those fears. “The reason we’re doing this is in response to Memphis ranking 12th in the nation in HIV cases. 29 percent of the people infected with HIV in Memphis / Shelby County are between the ages of 15 and 34. We’re targeting children between the ages of 17 and 19. That falls right in the middle of that age range.”
Wednesday November 25, 2009 is the last chance to score tickets to the concert and get tested. You can get your free HIV test at the South Memphis Alliance, 1248 Bellevue in Memphis. They’ll be there from 12:00p.m. to 6:00p.m. Gotti’s concert will be December 1, 2009 (World Aids Day) at the University of Memphis.
