Kudos to The Health Foundation of Greater Indianapolis and the Efroymson Family Fund for their presentation of “Spotlight 2009” at Clowes Memorial Hall tonight.

Thanks to friends and extended salsa-family members Brooke and Roz for hookin’ me up with a special seat. I’ve always said my salsa fam is THEE BEST!

If you have been under a rock, didn’t know, the “Spotlight” show is a star-studded cast of local talent whose mission is all to raise dollars to benefit the Indiana AIDS Fund.

But don’t worry if you didn’t know … now you do – and they’re still accepting checks (www.indianaaidsfund.org) – I’m sure. Plus it was my first time, too, so don’t feel bad. Give now. Go next year.

I can’t actually say that my intention for going tonight was all noble… In fact, I kinda needed an escape from the last few days of Keiannaraedom. As I sat there alone taking in the messages, both hidden and overt, my mind wandered down a path about my own life, and since I’ve literally been running from ghosts, I found it ironic and a little weird how the messages kept hitting home … in more ways than one.

Since this blog isn’t meant as an in-depth look into my personal drama, I’ll put it like this… That God being, He knows me sooo well. Mama always said, “Theee Lawd puts you in the right place at the right time, regardless of if you know it or not.”

So thank you to the performers for giving me a little something extra tonight. From Tasha Jones’ (www.iamtashajones.com) way with words in her poem “HIV Casting Call” to Asia LaBouche, “Ladies of Legends,” from Talbott Street and Steven Stolin’s rendition of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s, “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” I received an education and a life-lesson that I never intended to get from my last-minute re-route to Clowes.

I would be remiss if I didn’t impart some knowledge back to you, peeps, so here goes… I have to share this info I stole out of the program book:

1. There were 513 new cases of HIV reported in Indiana last year

2. 25% of those cases were in the Hispanic/Latino populations

3. 53% of all new HIV infections are among Black women

Now that’s what I call diversity.

Help stop the spread of AIDS in this community. Wrap it up people. Please.