The Foundation for The AIDS Monument partnered with the Minority AIDS Project (MAP) to present a STORIES Circle event on the afternoon of June 26 at MAP’s location on West Jefferson Boulevard.

The program was presented in Spanish with simultaneous translation in English, and all attendees had the option of sharing their story in Spanish or English.  The featured speaker was Hernán Molina, the lead policy analyst for the City of West Hollywood and former HIV/AIDS health educator.  Born in Buenos Aires, Molina came to the U.S. in his mid-20s and began working in 1992 with AIDS Project Los Angeles (now APLA Health).  He went on to become HIV Operations Manager for AltaMed Health Services after working on the organization’s Hombre A Hombre HIV Prevention Program and later worked at the then-Office of AIDS Programs & Policy of the County Department of Health Services.

This event included the participation of many clients of the Minority AIDS Project, which was the first community-based HIV/AIDS organization in the U.S. to be established and managed by people of color. Founded in 1985 by The Honorable Archbishop Carl Bean and members of Unity Fellowship of Christ Church, MAP continues to offer educational and service programs to all community members, with a focus on providing services and outreach to people of color communities in Central and South-Central Los Angeles.  Like in past STORIES Circle events, we gathered in small circles of six people to share personal stories about how HIV and/or AIDS has impacted our lives.

This STORIES Circle event was funded in part by grants from the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs and Gilead Sciences.  To be notified of future STORIES Circle events, please sign up to receive our quarterly newsletter and to receive event notifications.