New York, NY - Jami Jackson (www.jamijackson.net), native of North Carolina, came to New York City with a mission. Be purposeful. Stand up for a cause. And, live life.

She graduated from Columbia University with a concentration in pre-med and psychology while pursuing her passion for music. At 23, she is juggling a career as a research assistant in Oncology at the prestigious Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital from 9-5. By night, the soulful singer is performing for standing room-only crowds at venues from the Apollo Theatre to the Nuyorican Poets Café, in New York City.

Are You Positive? A reality documentary starring Jami Jackson airs on World AIDS Day, December 1st, 7:30PM (EST) on the popular Black Entertainment Television (BET), sponsored by the Kaiser Foundation. According to data provided by the Kaiser Foundation, HIV/AIDS deaths are the highest for Black women, ages 25-44, than respective counterparts in racial/ethnic groups.

The reality documentary, Are You Positive? profiles four young adults: two with HIV/AIDS and two without. The viewers are challenged to follow the lifestyles and habits of the individuals and select which person has HIV/AIDS. The alarming result is HIV/AIDS has no particular look, style and stereotype. HIV/AIDS can happen to anyone. The purpose of the program is to challenge the BET generation to make smarter choices as it relates to HIV/AIDS.

The program follows Jami Jackson over a period of months, viewers get an intimate view of her day to day -- working at the hospital, scouring for performance gigs, hanging out with friends and interacting with her growing fan base. The determined go-getter landed a role in the reality documentary on BET by simply -- going for it. "I heard they were looking for people to appear in a program, which helps to educate people about HIV/AIDS, so I sent in my material," says Jackson. "Not only did I get a role in the reality documentary, two of my songs were selected for the program." Viewers will get a chance to hear original music by Jackson, "Let Love Live," and "I Will Survive."

Next up for Jami Jackson...world domination. Participating as a contestant in the Miss Black New York Pageant on January 3, 2009; applying to medical school to pursue an advanced degree in psychiatry; and performing at LifeBeat's (an HIV/AIDS advocacy group) Hearts & Voices Superstar Holiday Show on December 13 (11am-12noon) at Housing Works East Village, and December 17 (6-7pm) at the Terrence Cardinal Cooke Center.

Jackson also has an original song called "Love At First Sight," featured on LifeBeat's compilation CD. The songs are uplifting and the perfect holiday gift for the residents of LifeBeat. "I am living my dream," says Jami Jackson, "there is a real feeling of change in the air."

Are You Positive? airs on December 1st at 7:30PM (EST) on Black Entertainment Television, www.bet.com

For more information, please visit www.jamijackson.net, www.myspace.com/jamijacksonmusic.

Print     E-mail     Share: Facebook  Twitter     Discuss     All Articles   

Web www.mybrotha.com