Tomorrow, December 1st, is World AIDS Day, a time when organizations and individuals work to heighten awareness about the global AIDS epidemic.

I remember how as a child, my mom told me to mind my P's and Q's. She taught me to ask before taking, say sorry when you've made a mistake, and not to lie because God will get mad (her words verbatim).

Some food for thought... Obama election spurs race crimes around country

'We used to think there was a black community'With her towering afro and radical rhetoric, Angela Davis was one of the iconic faces of black politics in 1970s America.

When I describe my interest in medicine/public health, I make a point to emphasize how this goes beyond my scientific curiosity and into my passion for people, particularly marginalized communities. Intersectionalities such as the crib to prison pipeline/ books v. bars have been supported with substantial evidence.

Last weekend, I had the pleasure of attending the Facing Race Conference hosted by  the Applied Research Center in Oakland, California.

I recently received an email showcasing The Onion's (www.theonion.com) historic front pages. One of them featured President-Elect Obama with the headline reading, "Black Man Given Nation's Worst Job." The Onion has a clever way of adding a twist of sarcasm and humor in current politics, and many times, is successful at calling out the elephant in the room, this example included.

During a staff meeting at my Leadership Academy (LA) placement, The Greenlining Institute, LA alum and fellow staff member, Ami Patel, facilitated a discussion on our reactions to the election results. We began by watching a CNN slideshow (Obama: This is our moment, http://www.cnn.com/interactive/allpolitics/0811/slideshow.ob...)

As noted in my previous blog, I am currently working with my mom at a high-volume precinct in San Francisco. Before 6:45am, we already had more than 20 people lined up outside the precinct office. We've got voters filling out ballots in the hallway, and overflow in the school cafeteria.

Last night, as I was completing my absentee ballot, my mom walked in enthused. She had just gotten off the phone with my uncle (her younger brother) who told her that he would be voting for Obama in the spirit of "the little people." My mom went on to say, "See, our whole family is for Obama, except your Uncle (who I'll leave annonymous in this blog.