It has been 40 years since the AIDS epidemic began, and although infection and death rates have fallen dramatically over the past decade, hundreds of thousands of people around the world are still dying from AIDS-related diseases.
San Francisco has been at the center of the fight to end the AIDS epidemic from the start.
On Saturday, the community remembered the victims and encouraged others to get involved in the fight.
It was a moving tribute to the millions of people who have died of AIDS over the past 40 years. The unveiling of 1,000 panels from the 50,000 panels supports the memorial quilt with voices of hope and memories of the loss.
June 5th marks 40 years since the federal government first recognized the AIDS epidemic. NBC Bay Area’s Joe Rosato Jr. spoke to survivors about how far they have come in understanding and fighting the disease.
United States Spokeswoman Nancy Pelosi and San Francisco Mayor London Breed were some of the speakers at Saturday’s event.
Dignitaries reading the names of the victims unload at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park. And more expression in the quilt, a 54-tonne tapestry that was the brainchild of those affected by the potentially deadly AIDS virus before it even had a name.
“From that beginning began a great movement that not only changed the fight against AIDS, but also the way the world viewed gays,” said Cleve Jones, co-founder of AIDS Memorial Quilt.
AIDS is still a struggle that goes on. There are still nearly 700,000 AIDS-related deaths worldwide annually, more than 13,000 in the U.S. The U.S. is one of a number of countries that have signed with the United Nations to meet the goal of zero AIDS infections and zero deaths by 2030 .
“We just haven’t got there yet, but we will,” said Pelosi.
Breed promises that the city of San Francisco will reach the destination.
“No new infections, no new deaths, no stigmatization of people with HIV or AIDS,” she said.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee also promises she will continue her fight to end the heavy toll in urban areas where the CDC said people of color are infected at extremely high rates.
“We have seen up close how this disease has affected our communities, our neighbors, and our friends and families,” she said.
Long-term survivors also encourage others to get tested and trust the current drugs that they say will save lives.
“As a 35-year-old AIDS survivor, I am now experiencing what it is like to be a senior,” said Lonnie Payne, AIDS Memorial board member.
