Remembrance and Hope: Fiesta Youth Organizes National AIDS Memorial Quilt Exhibit
December 1, 2021 - West Side
Quilt of love. Over the past 33 years, the National Memorial AIDS Quilt (pictured) has been seen by more than 15 million people around the world and has raised money for direct services for people with HIV/AIDS. This week, a segment of the quilt will be on display at Woodlawn Pointe. Photo: Facebook/AIDS Quilt.
By Jade Esteban Estrada, Staff Writer | San Antonio Sentinel
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- From Dec. 1-7, Fiesta Youth will present a segment of the National AIDS Memorial Quilt at Woodlawn Pointe
- On Dec. 1, there will be World AIDS Day interfaith service of remembrance attended by various Bexar County faith leaders
In 1987, six years after the New York Times had reported a “rare cancer seen in 41 homosexuals,” President Ronald Reagan called the AIDS epidemic “public enemy number one,” a move that many believe sparked an increased awareness of the then-enigmatical HIV virus. According to UNAIDS, leading the global effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, 78 million people have become infected with HIV and 35 million have died from AIDS-related illnesses.
This week, the LGBTQ organization Fiesta Youth is observing World AIDS Day by sponsoring an exhibit of the renowned National AIDS Memorial Quilt Dec. 1-7 at Woodlawn Pointe Community Center on the city’s West Side.
Multiple family-friendly events will take place throughout the weeklong celebration, starting with an opening event on Wednesday, a community fair on Dec. 4, and a closing ceremony on Dec. 7. Organizers hope to shed light on the impact HIV/AIDS has had around the globe.
At 5 p.m. on Dec. 1, the National AIDS Memorial Quilt exhibit will open, followed by an opening ceremony and an annual World AIDS Day interfaith service of remembrance, attended by various Bexar County faith leaders.
On Thursday, Dec. 2, the exhibit will continue from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will also be a presentation by Beat AIDS, a longstanding organization that works to increase public awareness about health issues facing hard-to-reach populations.
The Memorial Quilt exhibit will continue on Friday, Dec. 3 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will be a presentation titled AIDS Through the Eyes of Art at 7 p.m.
On Saturday, Dec. 4, a Community Holiday Art and Craft Fair will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. there will be a Community Resource Fair and a concurrent continuance of the Memorial Quilt exhibit.
On Dec. 5, a Sunday celebration service will be held at 11 a.m., after which, the Memorial Quilt exhibit will be on display from noon to 3 p.m.
On Monday, Dec. 6, the Memorial Quilt exhibit will be on display from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Later that evening, there will be a combined meeting with Fiesta Youth and PFLAG, a group that unites parents, families, and allies with people who identify as LGBTQ.
On Tuesday, Dec. 7, the Memorial Quilt exhibit will be on display from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. A closing ceremony hosted by Living Positive SA will wrap up the series.
According to Winnie Byanyima, executive director of UNAIDS, the fight against HIV/AIDS is far from over.
“If we take on the inequalities that hold back progress, we can deliver on the promise to end AIDS by 2030,” she said in a World AIDS Day video. “It is in our hands. End inequalities. End AIDS. End pandemics.”
Woodlawn Pointe Community Center is located at 702 Donaldson Ave.
Jade Esteban Estrada is a staff writer for the San Antonio Sentinel, where he covers public health and other citywide issues. jade@sasentinel.com | Twitter: @satx_writer