Dec. 1 marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, a global event dedicated to
raising money for research and support, fighting prejudice and promoting AIDS
education. It is also a time to remember those lost to the disease. Twenty-five years
after the first identification of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus
that causes AIDS, HIV remains a grave public health concern with 60,000 new cases
each year in the United States alone. The World AIDS Day theme for 2008 is
"Leadership in the Fight Against AIDS: Keep the Promise."
Together with the Central New York HIV Care Network, Syracuse University will
host a series of events at the Oncenter, including a display of the CNY AIDS
Memorial Quilt, which honors those in our area who have died of AIDS. On Dec. 1,
SU Chancellor and President Nancy Cantor will speak at an opening ceremony,
along with Mayor Matthew J. Driscoll; Cynthia Morrow, health commissioner of
Onondaga County; and U.S. Rep.-elect Dan Maffei. The ceremony will take place at
5:30 p.m.
The quilt exhibition will be open Dec. 1-3 from 9 a.m.-8 p.m. daily. Area middle
schools and high schools are arranging student tours of the exhibition, which includes
multimedia presentations, an information desk and a meditation area. HIV/AIDS
program staff and HIV-positive volunteers will guide visitors and provide information
about living with HIV/AIDS. Sean Maloney, a graduate assistant in the SU LGBT
Resource Center, is coordinating volunteer recruitment for the event.
"As the University continues in its commitment to civic engagement and learning
outside of the classroom, the AIDS Memorial Quilt Exhibition presents a unique
opportunity for our students, faculty and staff to gain insight on issues that are
impacting our world, both locally and globally," says Maloney. "The quilts afford
viewers a glimpse inside the lives of those living with HIV/AIDS and the memories of
those who have passed as a result of the epidemic. Participating in this exhibit will
demonstrate how HIV/AIDS both infects and affects a community, specifically, the
Syracuse community. "
Volunteers and staff from community-based HIV/AIDS service programs are
working on displays for more than 30 quilts honoring persons lost to the AIDS
epidemic. Each measuring 12 feet by 12 feet, the quilts will be displayed hanging and
also laid out on a floor grid. Visitors interested in learning more about HIV/AIDS,
about the community's response to the epidemic, and measures to prevent the spread
of HIV are invited to visit the exhibition's information center.
The Central New York HIV Care Network is emphasizing youth participation
because the rise in HIV/AIDS diagnoses in younger adults indicates that many
became infected while quite young, even in their early teens. HIV/AIDS
epidemiological data also reveals significant increases in infection within other age
cohorts, among African Americans and Latinos, and among women. The spread of
HIV/AIDS is determined by behavior rather than identity. To be successful,
HIV/AIDS prevention messages must reach all age groups and all sectors of the
community.
The Central New York HIV Care Network invites the entire community to attend the
events to remember those lost to the epidemic; show support for those who are HIV-
positive and those who provide services to them; become better informed about the
latest advances in HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention; and help raise HIV/AIDS
awareness. The public is also invited to attend a faith leaders ceremony on Tuesday,
Dec. 2, at 5:30 p.m. and the closing ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 6 p.m.
For more information on this event, or to volunteer, contact Maloney at 443-3983 or
swmalone@syr.edu.
