Light it up black or blue?

Light It Up Blue is an event held on April 2 for Autism Awareness. There are pages of participants listed on the Autism Speaks site. Some of the participants included the Christ the Redeemer Statue, The Great Pyramid of Giza, and the City Hall of Dublin. It was an international event. I just learned about Light It Up Black. It's people who want less awareness and more action toward a "cure" for autism. While I understand the meaning behind this, I'm disappointed by this idea. Without awareness, there will be no cure. There will be no understanding and there will be no acceptance. I still run into people who say strange things or who have no idea what autism is. I know and I think it too, how could that be? There is so much awareness. Because, just because the name is recognizable, it isn't something that everyone comes in contact yet. Why would someone learn about autism if it doesn't effect them? Even with all of my child psychology courses and work, I was clueless. I thought it was overdiagnosed. I had all kinds of thoughts and opinions about autism but I didn't know what it was exactly. I knew it scared the shit out of me but I didn't know what it was persay. At a playdate one time, I mentioned Gabriel's diagnosis. Another parent said," Wow. You are amazing. I can't believe he still lives with you!" Yes, we still need awareness! Do we need to figure out what is causing 1:88 to get this G-d awful disorder, YES! But don't forget about awareness. There are people suffering with terrible illnesses that are not getting the same awareness that autism is receiving and let me tell you, they WANT the awareness. I've heard it from them. They want to know that something, anything, is being done for their illness to better their life or their loved ones life. So before we bash awarenss, let's consider where we would be without it. It would be a sad place for my son. I have a difficult time explaining his behavior in this day and age WITH awareness and Light It Blue. I can't imagine what it will be like if we lose the awareness created with events like Light It Blue. Bring on Light It Black but not in an effort to squash Light It Blue. We need both. We need answers and awareness.