AIDS Memorial Quilt: World pays tribute to AIDS victims
On May 20, people all over the world paid tribute to AIDS victims and expressed solidarity with people living with HIV.
In 1983, at the onset of the AIDS pandemic Cleve Jones, an American AIDS and LGBT rights activist, co-founded the San Francisco AIDS Foundation which has grown into one of the largest and most influential People with AIDS advocacy organizations in the United States. Jones conceived the idea of the AIDS Memorial Quilt at a candlelight memorial for Harvey Milk in 1985 and in 1987 created the first quilt panel in honor of his friend Marvin Feldman. The AIDS Memorial Quilt has grown to become the world's largest community arts project. Since 1983, The International Candlelight Memorial has been held annually on the third Sunday in May.
The Quilt is a memorial to and celebration of the lives of people lost to the AIDS pandemic. The goal of the Quilt is to bring awareness to how massive the AIDS pandemic really is, and to bring support and healing to those affected by it. Another goal is to raise funds for community based AIDS service organizations (ASO's), to increase their funding for AIDS prevention and education.
