New York, NY, Dec. 1, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, World AIDS Day 2011, Hairdressers Against AIDS enters its second year in the United States. Hairdressers Against AIDS is a global advocacy program that aims to empower the entire industry of hairdressers and salon professionals to use their unique relationship with their clients and communities to become a resource to interact, educate and help prevent the spread of HIV. In its second year, Hairdressers Against AIDS will deploy teams of professional stylists and colorists who have been trained in current HIV/AIDS information to beauty schools across the country, taking the HIV/AIDS awareness message to the next generation of hairdressers. Hairdressers Against AIDS will continue to implement education through informational tool kits to the salons across America and also encourage the overall salon community and consumers to join the conversation and arm themselves with prevention information that can be found on the program's web site: www.hairdressersagainstaids.com or on the Facebook page.
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The Hairdressers Against AIDS US outreach program was announced at a press conference in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City on World AIDS Day. NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn returned to show support for the program by speaking at the conference, joined this year by Council Member Inez Dickens -District 9 (Harlem) and NY Assembly Member Robert Rodriguez, National Black Leadership Initiative on AIDS's Leatrice Wactor and AIDS Activist Maria Davis. SVP of Worldwide Education at Redken and Pureology, and the Chair of Hairdressers Against AIDS USA Christine Schuster hosted, along with high-profile celebrity hairdressers Kimmi Hendrix and Traci Washington, as well as Director of Education at MIZANI Veronique Morrison.
"It is imperative that we keep the conversation about HIV/AIDS awareness going in this country," said Speaker Quinn. "The more we talk, the more infections we can prevent and less the stigma persists for those who are living with HIV/AIDS. New generations should be aware and have access to the latest prevention information and not be afraid to speak openly about the disease, be it with their friends, family or their hairdressers."
Speaker Quinn, Council Member Dickens, Assembly Member Rodriguez, Hendrix, Morrison and Schuster spoke to the importance of HIV education and awareness with the staggering statistics of 1.2 million Americans living with the disease today, and 20% of those infected (1 of 5) do not know they are infected. Hosting the conference in Harlem has special significance for the advocacy program, with the African American community facing the most severe HIV burden.
"Millions of people sit in salon chairs every day, speaking with their hairdressers about their lives. This is why Hairdressers Against AIDS was created, to communicate important messages through the special bond between these artists and their clients," said Schuster. "Hairdressers have a unique opportunity to help save lives simply by starting a conversation. This year, by engaging students, we hope to inspire future generations of hairdressers to continue this conversation."
Throughout the past year, Hairdressers Against AIDS has been providing thousands of salon professionals with in-depth training at special L'Oréal educational sessions and through industry events such as the Redken Symposium, America's Beauty Show, Premiere Orlando and Centricity, enabling them to educate customers about HIV/AIDS in the U.S. through industry events. With 500,000 hairdressers in the L'Oréal Professional Products Division salon network, who see an average of 20 million clients per week, this campaign has the opportunity to reach more than 110 million Americans per year through the L'Oréal network alone.
Hairdressers Against AIDS (U.S.) is sponsored by The L'Oréal Fondation D'Enterprise in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria (GBC), and is believed to be one of the largest HIV/AIDS mobilization campaigns in U.S. history.
For more information, and to Use Your Voice, Use Your Power, For A Beautiful World Without AIDS, please visit www.HairdressersAgainstAIDS.com.