by Jessica Carreras
On Nov. 6-9, the HIV/AIDS Resource Center of Jackson, in conjunction with other community organizations, will host a display of four sections of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. The quilt will be on display at the Armory Arts Village in Jackson.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt is the largest ongoing community arts project in the world. Founded in 1987, each block of the quilt measures 12 square feet and usually consists of eight panels sewn together. Each panel commemorates a person whose life was lost to AIDS. As more and more people are lost to the epidemic, the quilt is added to and often used in displays for AIDS walks and other educational contexts around the world. First displayed on Oct. 11, 1987 at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the quilt contains contributions from virtually every state and almost 30 countries. It stands in remembrance of the almost 90,000 people lost to HIV/AIDS.
The HARC display is part of a national effort to have each of the 47,000 panels on display as part of World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day, held on Dec. 1, is the global honoring of those lost to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
According to Frank Hill of HARC, the hope of those who display the quilt for World AIDS Day is to remind visitors to it that the HIV/AIDS epidemic is still a very real problem, and to encourage personal prevention. HARC, which was founded in 1986, specializes in providing HIV/AIDS-related services to the counties of Jackson, Lenawee, Livingston and Washtenaw. They provide testing, prevention education, support groups, case management and more.
To volunteer to help with the four-day event in Jackson, contact Special Events Coordinator Carrie Rheingans at [email protected].
