SEE CORRECTION ABOVE.

As part of Black History Month, there was a blood-free HIV testing event on College Walk today (Wednesday) in order to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic in the African-American community. It was open to the community, and we’re not sure how many test-ees were Columbia affiliates and how many weren’t, but we’ve heard some of the results were rather sobering.

At the end of the event, speaker Miss Black New York Shade Ogunleye mentioned that out of the 57 people who were tested, 13 were found to be HIV-positive. Remember: One out of four people who have HIV aren’t even aware that they do. If this isn’t reason enough for you to be safe(r), we don’t know what is.