Alimi Ballard is a busy actor and father of two children. The Numbers star recently sat down with the Black AIDS Institute to discuss AIDS in the African American community.
When asked about his motivation for joining the “Greater Than AIDS Campaign”, Ballard said, “It was my children. It was something watching my daughter being born. I thought I had a grasp on the world. I thought I knew what was most important: I got married, picked a good wife, had a good job; I was working. Everything was good. But seeing my daughter being born, my concern for the world and the people in it was born anew.”
Alimi now considers how the virus can affect his children’s lives in the future and encourages everyone to spread awareness about AIDS. “There is such a lack of information out there, and this is where you see the disparity in socioeconomic environments in the United States of America, where some people don’t get the information that they need: Half the new AIDS cases happen among African Americans, and when you make up 12 percent of the population, that’s a big disconnect. So it’s about getting out the information. Talk. Talk to your girlfriend. Talk to your boyfriend. Talk to your mother. Talk to everyone and share the information.”
Alimi definitely plans to have the talk with his son as soon as he is old enough to understand the birds and bees concept. “I’m going to take the boy,” says Ballard, “and we’re going to sit down. He’s a boy. I’m a man. I think I can really talk about what he should and shouldn’t do and why–and I will use that book.”
Website:Blackaids,org
Photo: Twitter
