A thread between two pandemics: What we can learn about today’s public health emergency from
the AIDS crisis
Some of Our Speakers
Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.
NIAID Director
Nancy Pelosi
House Speaker
David D. Ho, M.D.
Founding Scientific Director and
CEO of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center
Lori E. Lightfoot
Chicago Mayor
Keisha Lance Bottoms
Atlanta Mayor
Alicia Garza
Principal at Black Futures Lab and
Co-Founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network
Kristin Urquiza
Founder,
Marked By COVID
Robert Garcia
Long Beach Mayor
Judith Light
Actor and AIDS Advocate
The goal of the forum is to explore and discuss the two watershed health care crises and what we as a nation might learn from them—to find the thread between the two pandemics.
“We do not stop,” says Cunningham. “We keep moving forward in spite of incredible odds. We see that the vision and the obligation we have is to provide some lessons, tools, open some hearts and minds, and also to give some hope.”
The first lesson is on the dangers of stigmatizing the disease as something that is caused by and affects only a narrow segment of Americans. In the early days, some tried to politicize AIDS, calling it a “gay disease,” which stirred discrimination, stigma, harm,
and a rejection by health and medical experts. Similarly, COVID-19 was immediately downplayed as a disease that killed only the elderly and people living with comorbidities like diabetes or asthma. Some referred to it as the “China Virus,” once again stirring the same fears from the AIDS pandemic. In both cases, human lives became devalued, and the enormous loss of life therefore became tragically easier to disregard. We have always known that biologically, both diseases are blind to race, gender, age, sexual orientation, and pre-existing conditions. Furthermore, we see that because of social factors, both AIDS and COVID-19 are disproportionately harming marginalized communities—especially those of color—that have scant access to quality health care
and other resources.
In part because of those stigmas, the federal government’s response to both pandemics has been politicized and anemic at best, resulting in the unnecessary deaths of tens of thousands of our fellow citizens. And it has been difficult in both crises to persuade people to take common-sense precautions, such as practicing safe sex and putting on a mask.
“Both pandemics emerged with a Republican president who failed to perceive the seriousness of the situation and squandered precious time,” says Cleve Jones, author, activist, and founder of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, who is also a speaker at the forum. “We in the U.S., who have the resources and knowledge, failed. With AIDS, we failed to act, first because of homophobia, then because of racism. Now with COVID-19, it’s only old people being killed by a Chinese virus. It doesn’t make sense, and it’s not helpful.”
Perhaps the most crushing similarity between the two pandemics is the isolation with which individuals have had to face both diseases. Just as hospitalized COVID-19 patients are quarantined from their families for fear of transmission, for years, gay men and women dying of AIDS were separated from their partners, who did not have legal standing as family members.
“Many of those people were abandoned by their families, churches, and communities,” says Jones. “The whole process of grieving has been disrupted. People are deep in grief and unable to express it in the ways we normally do.”
But not all the similarities between the pandemics are negative. There are positive examples that emerged from the AIDS crisis that have already inspired people to act in response to COVID-19.
Kristin Urquiza lost her father to the coronavirus and has channeled her frustration and grief into activism. She started Marked By COVID, a grassroots movement to collect stories about the people hurt by COVID-19 and push for safer public health policies. She was inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
“In losing my dad, I couldn’t help but think about the AIDS crisis,” says Urquiza, who spoke at the Democratic National Convention this summer and is slated to speak at the World AIDS Day forum.
I thought about the quilt and how powerful a symbol that was for
such a loss. I’m part of the rainbow community. In thinking about these growing numbers of COVID victims, I was missing the people behind
those numbers, their families, and their stories.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt itself is a powerful symbol of hope, unity, and human resilience that can hearten anyone suffering through these troubled times. The actual quilt has recently returned to its home in San Francisco. But because we can no longer gather for in-person viewings, the National AIDS Memorial is launching an
More than 10,000 quilt panels from all 50 states and the U.S. territories will be featured online, using the power and beauty of the quilt to help the nation heal during these difficult times and let everyone learn about, remember, and honor lost friends and loved ones.
Join us to be part of the first-ever 50-state AIDS Quilt virtual exhibition and display.
Virtual AIDS Memorial Quilt Exhibition
The most important lesson that the AIDS pandemic can offer Americans today might be the power in standing up, speaking out, working together, and building community in times of crisis. To the new generation of activists, that can mean taking to the streets
in protest, contacting Congress to advocate for changes in health care policy, attending vigils, organizing donation drives, or sewing protective masks.
“We want the story of the AIDS pandemic to serve as a reminder about the destructive nature of stigma and discrimination and continue to inform and inspire a nation to move forward,” says Cunningham. “Activism is part of our national thread. That’s how we bring about change.”
Our Major Supporters
The presenting partner for this year’s World AIDS Day event is Gilead Sciences, a long-standing partner of the National AIDS Memorial. Last year, Gilead provided a $2.4 million grant to support the programs of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, including its move to San Francisco under the stewardship of the National AIDS Memorial.
Co-sponsors for the event are Chevron and Quest Diagnostics. Additional sponsors include Nestle, Blue Shield of California, BioMarin, the Excelerate Foundation, the National Hemophilia Foundation, the Murray Reese Foundation, Vivent Health, and Wells Fargo.
Bay Area organizations partner to bring the legendary Quilt back to San Francisco inspiring hope amid a pandemic
After nearly two decades being housed on the other side of the country, the AIDS Memorial Quilt is finally home.
Hear More from Our Supporters
Powerful voices from AIDS and Covid-19 pandemics. Remembering lost loved ones and celebrating their lives.
Sign up
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Author, Activist, Co-Founder
of AIDS Memorial Quilt
Cleve Jones
Click here to see a full list of our supporters.
For a more comprehensive list of speakers and panelists, visit aidsmemorial.org/wad2020.
for updates on this event!
AIDS Memorial Quilt Virtual Exhibition, officially launching on World AIDS Day, through March 31, 2021.
SPONSORED STORY
John Cunningham never thought he’d have to go through one pandemic in his lifetime, let alone two. He lived in San Francisco in the 1980s, then on the front lines of the AIDS crisis that has since killed more than 700,000 Americans. For more than two decades, Cunningham has lived with the disease himself, and he has used his experiences to help others as an activist, community organizer, and since 2009 as executive director of the National AIDS Memorial.
So when COVID-19 arrived in the U.S. last spring and the true threat of the novel coronavirus became increasingly clear, Cunningham was struck, and in some cases appalled, by the similarities between the two pandemics.
“They are two different biological diseases,” says Cunningham, “but there are many common social threads.”
The parallels between 2020 and 1980, when the first cases of AIDS were reported in the United States, are so instructive that the National AIDS Memorial has decided to build its annual World AIDS Day national observance around the theme. On Dec. 1, Cunningham will join other activists, elected officials, educators, spiritual leaders, and medical experts for World AIDS Day 2020: A National Conversation. The virtual forum will feature keynote speakers Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. David Ho, who, 40 years after leading the national public health and scientific response to AIDS, once again find themselves advising authorities on how to stem and stop the spread of a deadly disease.
World AIDS Day 2020 – A National Conversation will bring together powerful voices from both pandemics for three panel discussions about health and science, the impact on marginalized communities, and activism that sparks change and movements. Through a distinguished list of guest speakers, video storytelling, and musical tributes, the event will spotlight the interconnectedness of both pandemics — the lives lost, the survivors and the heroes, sharing important insights to help answer the questions about how a nation responds, how it heals, and what lessons must be learned for the future.
The goal of the forum is to explore and discuss the two watershed health care crises and what we as a nation might learn from them—to find the thread between the two pandemics.
“We do not stop,” says Cunningham. “We keep moving forward in spite of incredible odds. We see that the vision and the obligation we have is to provide some lessons, tools, open some hearts and minds, and also to give some hope.”
The first lesson is on the dangers of stigmatizing the disease as something that is caused by and affects only a narrow segment of Americans. In the early days, some tried to politicize AIDS, calling it a “gay disease,” which stirred discrimination, stigma, harm,
and a rejection by health and medical experts. Similarly, COVID-19 was immediately downplayed as a disease that killed only the elderly and people living with comorbidities like diabetes or asthma. Some referred to it as the “China Virus,” once again stirring the same fears from the AIDS pandemic. In both cases, human lives became devalued, and the enormous loss of life therefore became tragically easier to disregard. We have always known that biologically, both diseases are blind to race, gender, age, sexual orientation, and pre-existing conditions. Furthermore, we see that because of social factors, both AIDS and COVID-19 are disproportionately harming marginalized communities—especially those of color—that have scant access to quality health care
and other resources.
John Cunningham never thought he’d have to go through one pandemic in his lifetime, let alone two. He lived in San Francisco in the 1980s, then on the front lines of the AIDS crisis that has since killed more than 700,000 Americans. For more than two decades, Cunningham has lived with the disease himself, and he has used his experiences to help others as an activist, community organizer, and since 2009 as executive director of the National AIDS Memorial.
So when COVID-19 arrived in the U.S. last spring and the true threat of the novel coronavirus became increasingly clear, Cunningham was struck, and in some cases appalled, by the similarities between the two pandemics.
“They are two different biological diseases,” says Cunningham, “but there are many common social threads.”
The parallels between 2020 and 1980, when the first cases of AIDS were reported in the United States, are so instructive that the National AIDS Memorial has decided to build its annual World AIDS Day national observance around the theme. On Dec. 1, Cunningham will join other activists, elected officials, educators, spiritual leaders, and
medical experts for World AIDS Day 2020: A National Conversation. The virtual forum will feature keynote speakers Dr. Anthony Fauci and Dr. David Ho, who, 40 years after leading the national public health and scientific response to AIDS, once again find themselves advising authorities on how to stem and stop the spread of a deadly disease.
World AIDS Day 2020 – A National Conversation will bring together powerful voices from both pandemics for three panel discussions about health and science, the impact on marginalized communities, and activism that sparks change and movements. Through a distinguished list of guest speakers, video storytelling, and musical tributes, the event will spotlight the interconnectedness of both pandemics — the lives lost, the survivors and the heroes, sharing important insights to help answer the questions about how a nation responds, how it heals, and what lessons must be learned for the future.
World AIDS Day 2020: A National Conversation.
A thread between two pandemics: What we can learn about today’s public health emergency from
the AIDS crisis
In part because of those stigmas, the federal government’s response to both pandemics has been politicized and anemic at best, resulting in the unnecessary deaths of tens of thousands of our fellow citizens. And it has been difficult in both crises to persuade people to take common-sense precautions, such as practicing safe sex and putting on a mask.
“Both pandemics emerged with a Republican president who failed to perceive the seriousness of the situation and squandered precious time,” says Cleve Jones, author, activist, and founder of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, who is also a speaker at the forum. “We in the U.S., who have the resources and knowledge, failed. With AIDS, we failed to act, first because of homophobia, then because of racism. Now with COVID-19, it’s only old people being killed by a Chinese virus. It doesn’t make sense, and it’s not helpful.”
Perhaps the most crushing similarity between the two pandemics is the isolation with which individuals have had to face both diseases. Just as hospitalized COVID-19 patients are quarantined from their families for fear of transmission, for years, gay men and women dying of AIDS were separated from their partners, who did not have legal standing as family members.
“Many of those people were abandoned by their families, churches, and communities,” says Jones. “The whole process of grieving has been disrupted. People are deep in grief and unable to express it in the ways we normally do.”
But not all the similarities between the pandemics are negative. There are positive examples that emerged from the AIDS crisis that have already inspired people to act in response to COVID-19.
Kristin Urquiza lost her father to the coronavirus and has channeled her frustration and grief into activism. She started Marked By COVID, a grassroots movement to collect stories about the people hurt by COVID-19 and push for safer public health policies. She was inspired by the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
“In losing my dad, I couldn’t help but think about the AIDS crisis,” says Urquiza, who spoke at the Democratic National Convention this summer and is slated to speak at the World AIDS Day forum.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt itself is a powerful symbol of hope, unity, and human resilience that can hearten anyone suffering through these troubled times. The actual quilt has recently returned to its home in San Francisco. But because we can no longer gather for in-person viewings, the National AIDS Memorial is launching an AIDS Memorial Quilt Virtual Exhibition, officially launching on World AIDS Day, through March 31, 2021.
More than 10,000 quilt panels from all 50 states and the U.S. territories will be featured online, using the power and beauty of the quilt to help the nation heal during these difficult times and let everyone learn about, remember, and honor lost friends and loved ones.
The most important lesson that the AIDS pandemic can offer Americans today might be the power in standing up, speaking out, working together, and building community in times of crisis. To the new generation of activists, that can mean taking to the streets
in protest, contacting Congress to advocate for changes in health care policy, attending vigils, organizing donation drives, or sewing protective masks.
“We want the story of the AIDS pandemic to serve as a reminder about the destructive nature of stigma and discrimination and continue to inform and inspire a nation to move forward,” says Cunningham. “Activism is part of our national thread. That’s how we bring about change.”
The presenting partner for this year’s World AIDS Day event is Gilead Sciences, a long-standing partner of the National AIDS Memorial. Last year, Gilead provided a $2.4 million grant to support the programs of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, including its move to San Francisco under the stewardship of the National AIDS Memorial.
Co-sponsors for the event are Chevron and Quest Diagnostics. Additional sponsors include Nestle, Blue Shield of California, BioMarin, the Excelerate Foundation, the National Hemophilia Foundation, the Murray Reese Foundation, Vivent Health, and Wells Fargo.
Click here to see a full list of our supporters.
Our Major Supporters
Virtual AIDS Memorial Quilt Exhibition
Join us to be part of the first-ever 50-state AIDS Quilt virtual exhibition and display.
Hear More from Our Supporters
Bay Area organizations partner to bring the legendary Quilt back to San Francisco inspiring hope amid a pandemic
Powerful voices from AIDS and Covid-19 pandemics. Remembering lost loved ones and celebrating their lives.
Sign up
for updates on this event!
For a more comprehensive list of speakers and panelists, visit aidsmemorial.org/wad2020.
After nearly two decades being housed on the other side of the country, the AIDS Memorial Quilt is finally home.
I thought about the quilt and how powerful a symbol that was for
such a loss. I’m part of the rainbow community. In thinking about these growing numbers of COVID victims, I was missing the people behind
those numbers, their families, and their stories.
Some of Our Speakers
Robert Garcia
Long Beach Mayor
Judith Light
Actor and AIDS Advocate
Kristin Urquiza
Founder,
Marked By COVID
Cleve Jones
Author, Activist, Co-Founder
of AIDS Memorial Quilt
Alicia Garza
Principal at Black Futures Lab and
Co-Founder of the Black Lives Matter Global Network
Keisha Lance Bottoms
Atlanta Mayor
David D. Ho, M.D.
Founding Scientific Director and
CEO of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center
Lori E. Lightfoot
Chicago Mayor
Nancy Pelosi
House Speaker
Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.
NIAID Director
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
Source: The Chronicle
SPONSORED STORY