Best-selling Author and Activist J.L. King Comes to RIT, Feb. 18

A sudden spike in HIV infection rates among African American male college students is being declared a public health emergency, but the problem is often kept “on the down-low.”

J.L. King, author of the best-selling book On the Down Low, will speak at Rochester Institute of Technology on Saturday, Feb. 18, in Webb Auditorium, James E. Booth Building. The event is hosted by the women of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority’s Omicron Beta Chapter. King is a nationally recognized HIV/STD prevention activist, best-selling author, philanthropist, publisher, and producer. His lecture will focus on moving past the “down low”—a term used to describe straight men with families sleeping with other men—to find honest love and healthy relationships.

On the Down Low: a Journey into the Lives of Straight Black Men who Sleep with Men, delivers the first frank and thorough investigation of life on the DL. His expertise has been cited in over 100 national publications including Jet, Sister to Sister Magazine, Ebony, People, The New York Times, and Essence Magazine. His television guest appearances have included the Oprah Winfrey Show, PBS, Bet, CNN, The Discovery Network, and over 80 local news shows.

Abenaa Addei, program coordinator and vice president of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. Omicron Beta Chapter, says, “The down low behavior is a serious community and health issue that many are unaware of. By hosting J.L. King, the chapter hopes to open the eyes of many so that the community can better prepare itself against HIV or AIDS, as well as becoming open to accepting other forms of sexuality for healthy love.”

Tickets—$5 for students and $10 for public—are available for purchase beginning the week of Jan. 23. A book signing by J.L. King will follow the lecture. For more information, contact Abenaa Addei at abenaa@mail.rit.edu or 585 424 7750.