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The article looks at the issue surrounding sexual assault in the African-American community. It discusses the prevalence of sexual assaults toward African Americans, describing sexual assault as any form of sexual contact performed without consent. It explores the risk of Black women to sexual assault as well as examines some specific cultural experiences and challenges in addressing the impact of sexual assault on women and girls.

The article presents an interview with photographer Catherine Opie, who currently is exhibiting at the Gladstone Gallery in New York City and the Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art. Topics discussed include what inspired her interest in making a series entitled "American Cities," how she achieves the level of clarity present in her photographs, her opinion of the conservative trend in American culture, and feedback from her gay fans, which has almost always been positive in nature.

The article discusses the latest developments in the fight against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease in the U.S., particularly for African American women, as of December 2011. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for HIV/AIDS director Kevin Fenton, efforts are done to promote testing and linking individuals to care and behavioral interventions. The opinion of Young Women's HIV/AIDS Coalition's Claire Simon on the issue is also cited.

The article relates the author's coming out experience. She is an actress determined not to be a puppet performing the lesbian show or be forced into the closet by agents who feel that being out is a bad career move. She came out when she was in college. Her parents had a hard time dealing with her coming out. They thought it was a phase because she was acting crazy and drinking all the time. As time passed they accepted her, and with their love and support, one week after graduating from the University of North Carolina, she moved to New York to chase her acting dream.