I wanted to write but...

Can I really be honest? I wanted to write this deep profound Blog Post for today, but it just ain't gonna happen. I had a tooth pulled a couple of days ago and I'm struggling to think, eat and drink. I mean, I broke a Diva Rule. I haven't put on earrings in two days. Tooth pain is no joke! And, if you combine my tooth adventure with my schedule the previous week, you will see that I am out of steam.

Last week, I went non-stop. Spent the early part of the week trying to get my sp/su collection of bracelets on the website. Still haven't finished.  *Sigh* I spoke at the University of Wisconsin @ Madison on Wednesday. Got up at 5am and took the commuter bus to Madison. Arrived just in time to have a brown bag lunch with a group of female students. Spoke that evening, sleep a little, and turned around and got back on the bus to come home at, yep you guessed, 5am. And when I got off that bus, I hit Chicago running. I was being honored in 6 hours and of course I spent the day getting Divafied and that's lot of work. Hair, make-up, last minute pick up of jewelry and stockings...

 I was honored by the Red Pump Project that evening. And yes, it was an incredible affair! They had a full house. The fashion show was fabulous! I fell in love with one of Spirit Africa skirt designs. Red Pump and I were entered into the Congressional Record of the United States Congress. And yes, their tribute to me had my "thug" on the floor.  Next to my Emmy Award, that Red Pump they gave me is the best award ever!

It was a magical evening and I was still reeling in the wonder of it all. That is, until they took my tooth a few days ago. And that was an adventure too. I got up at 5 am to get in line at Stroger (County) Hospital. Everyone has a 7 am appointment to stand in line and wait on a number to be seen. When the doors opened at 8 am, I was number 6 and when it was my turn, I was told my referral was not in the system. I debated until they gave me an appointment for a day later to get up again at 5am to wait in line to get a number to be seen. Anyway, this time I was seen. It took a total of 3 minutes to pull that tooth 3 hours later that has left me in pain days later.

So, say a prayer for me as I recover from my break-neck schedule and the trauma of having an extraction. See ya later, when my brain will allow me to think beyond my pain.

Win Tickets to the Red Pump Event

I know, I know, in recent weeks, you've seen the Red Pump Project everywhere, the Chicago SunTimes, WGN News, ABC News, CBS News, Twitter, Facebook. You've heard them on the Santita Jackson Show, Gospel Radio and WGCI. Yeap, they have been everywhere. You've thought about attending their event, but.....

Well, now is your chance!!


Red Pump, is giving a pair of tickets to my readers/supporters for this anticipated inaugural fashion show: Rock the Red: Bold, Fashion, Awareness, honoring me as the ultimate Red Pump Rocker.

To enter the contest, send an brief e-mail telling me what my recently launched blog Diva Living With AIDS means to you.  Send your comments to my personal e-mail rae@raelewisthornton.com. If you have not checked out my blog, well, no time like the present, just scroll down and take a peek.

I will be the only person reading your e-mail, so feel free to share openly. The decision will be made on this Tuesday.

The event will be held on March 25, 2010 at Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake St., Chicago. I hope that you will join us as we celebrate both my life and the anniversary of the Red Pump Project.  

Legacy: Generation to Generation

 I was looking quite chic in my gray and white ensemble (or so I thought), as I walked into the newest hot spot in Chicago's South Loop, Three Peas Art Lounge. As my eyes perused the mostly 20-something crowd, I started to feel uncomfortable. Clearly, I had not been given all the information about this event. I felt soooooo out of place. I took a quick glance around the room. No one seemed to have noticed me so I turned for the door. As my hand hit the knob I heard someone call my name, “Dammit!” I mumbled. “I’m stuck and inappropriately dressed. Not Cute!” The woman who had invited me sashayed over and guided me in. Within minutes I was being introduced to this young African-American woman who possessed an abundance of energy. My eyes went from her fabulous blue blouse, straight down to her Red Pumps. “Her too?” I thought. This was a Diva’s worst nightmare and I knew it. Among the sea of red, my gray shoes were out of place.  For Real... For Real... “Clam yourself girly,” I kept saying.

 I took a deep breath as my host introduced me to the lovely Luvvie. I was dying on the inside with embarrassment, but I remain poised as Cathy began talking. “I don’t know much about the younger women doing HIV work these days,” my hostess explained, “but it seems to work. These girls wear Red Pumps to bring awareness to HIV/AIDS and it’s catching on fast.” Her explanation only increased my anxiety. Not only was I inappropriately dressed, but HIV is my business, my passion, my ministry and I had never heard of the Red Pump Project. “Am I that old? Am I that dated in my work?” I asked myself. My head became a bouncing board for the conversation going on inside of me. “This is not good,” I told myself. I shook it off as Luvvie reached out for my hand. Her warmth seemed to provide some comfort and reduced my anxiety. Within minutes other young women from the Red Pump Project surrounded me like I was a celebrity. I didn't know them, but they certainly knew me. They were ecstatic that I had come to their event welcoming beauty blogger Afrobella to Chicago and raising money for the Chicago Women’s AIDS Project, all at the same time. I loosened up and began to mingle explaining along the way that I didn’t even own red pumps. By the end of the event I knew that the Red Rump Project was a gold mine in the work of HIV/AIDS awareness. I could feel it deep in my bones and, honestly, in these last seven months of knowing them they have proven me right.

  Their unwavering commitment to HIV/AIDS Awareness is undeniable! Within a year’s time they have signed on forty Ambassadors in twenty states. These young women are empowering women with information that will save their lives. The Red Pump Project has sparked a new generation of AIDS Activists that I am proud to know. Actually, I’m grateful that God has allowed me to live long enough to see this new level of commitment among young African-American women working on this critical issue. With AIDS being the number one killer of African-American women between the ages of 24-35, it is fitting that women in the hardest hit age group would fight for their peers. This novel idea of placing Red Pumps at the center of AIDS activism has caught on like a wildfire.

Many of the women in Red Pump are bloggers and have successfully taken their activism to Twitter, Facebook and their individual blogs. Recently, they put out a call for 500 bloggers to sport the Rock Red Pump logo on their blog, bringing awareness to HIV/AIDS. In just 50 days they have over 200 bloggers on board.

This March marks the first year anniversary of the Red Pump Project and they are celebrating their anniversary with an inaugural fashion show: Rock the Red: Bold, Fashion, Awareness. I am proud that they have chosen to honor me as the Ultimate Red Pump Rocker. The event will be held on March 25, 2010 at Bottom Lounge, 1375 W. Lake St., Chicago. I hope that you will join us as we celebrate both my life and the anniversary of the Red Pump Project. I will be there all night Rockin’ my fabulous Red Pumps (I'm prepared this time!)