Dear Monument Supporters:
In the midst of the fear and frustration surrounding the Trump Administration’s policies, I am glad to be able to share more progress in the construction of STORIES: The AIDS Monument.
Funding of HIV/AIDS-related treatment, prevention, research and education programs has been cancelled, frozen, or is at risk both in the United States and abroad. The lives and health of people around the world is now hanging in the balance. We face the growing erasure of the history of marginalized people and groups from school curricula, government websites, public libraries and museums. Our Trans community members are under attack from all directions. Our hard-won civil rights are being taken away or are threatened.
At a time like this, it is more crucial than ever that we preserve the history of HIV/AIDS. It is critical to educate current and future generations about what we went through, and to be clear on what work remains to be done to keep us safe, healthy and free to be our authentic selves.
STORIES: The AIDS Monument was designed not only as a window to the past, but also as a landmark for present-day protest, a place where we can unify and mobilize.
We came together to support, care for and advocate for one another in the height of the AIDS epidemic when the federal government and many state and local governments didn’t protect us. We built a stronger community when much of society felt like our adversaries. We can and must do the same today by building on the alliances and organizations we created, and the political skills we learned, so many years ago.
MONUMENT CONSTRUCTION PROCESS UPDATE:
