In conjunction with Black History Month, activist Rae Lewis Thornton will be speaking about her experience of “Living with AIDS.”

Her lecture will be held tonight at 8 in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union. It is free and open to the public.

Thornton’s lecture is not what most students would expect, said Jackie Sowell, vice president of the Black Student Alliance.

“Her story is very different and unique,” said Sowell, senior in apparel merchandising, design and production.

Sowell also said Thornton does not fit into an AIDS stereotype, proving that the disease can happen to anyone.

“It brings it home; she is not the type of person you would think had AIDS,” she said.

The lecture will be a great opportunity for people to ask difficult questions because Thornton is “open and brutally honest,” Sowell said.

“Living with AIDS” is about her day-to-day struggles with AIDS, and Thornton will not hold back, she said.

“She talks about things people would never think about,” she said.

This lecture is especially important for the students of Iowa State, said Pamela Thomas, director of the Margaret Sloss Women’s Center.

“Unfortunately, young people feel invincible to a lot of things, and AIDS and HIV are one of those things,” she said. “Students need to know that it can happen to them.”

A reception will follow the lecture, where people can pick up information about AIDS and HIV from various organizations. The Student Union Board also will be displaying part of the AIDS Quilt in the South Ballroom.

Aside from being an AIDS activist, Thornton was a political organizer for Michael Dukakis and Jesse Jackson. She has appeared on the “Oprah Winfrey Show” and “Nightline with Ted Koppel.”

Thornton also was nominated for an Emmy after writing a series of first-person stories about AIDS.

Thornton’s speech is being sponsored by BSA and the Committee on Lecturers.