Campaign to End AIDS comes to Detroit

DETROIT – The Campaign to End AIDS made a stopover in the Motor City last Tuesday as it neared its feverish finish. A month long cross-country journey, 10 separate caravans will converge on Washington, D.C. this week for Five Days of Action to End AIDS, a series of events that includes a march, rock concert, interfaith prayer service and visits to every lawmaker on Capitol Hill.
The caravan that visited Detroit originated in Seattle, and Lenny, a D.C.-based college student, has been onboard since the beginning.
"Where am I? What am I doing here?" he joked as he walked into the Detroit rally, which took place at the Community Health Awareness Group's downtown headquarters.
Lenny said he'd never previously visited any of the states he's seen on this journey. So far he's driven through Idaho ("flat and boring"), Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin ("pretty beautiful"), Illinois and Indiana. Michigan has been the busiest state so far with five events in such cities as Grand Rapids, Flint and Ann Arbor.
In Detroit, the rally could not help but intercept with this week's mayoral election.
"I'd like to read you a proclamation from the mayor," said Mark Peterson of the Midwest AIDS Prevention Project, greeting the 14 members of the caravan. "Oops, we don't have one."
Felix Sirls also took on Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.
"It is election time and the mayor did show up at an HIV event yesterday – after it was over so he could have a press conference," he said.
Sirls has been HIV-positive for 25 years.
"All my friends are gone that I knew but I'm still here," Sirls said. "My shoes are wearing out and I'm getting tired. But I'm too angry and too stupid to quit."
Peterson urged the members of the caravan to tell legislators in Washington how badly Detroiters need the Ryan White CARE Act to be reauthorized and fully funded.
"It's not the safety net for us, it's the only net," he said. Tell them "What you fund shows where your heart is. What you fund shows where your soul is. What you fund shows who your brother is and whether you're his keeper."
Several caravan members addressed the crowd as well. Jason from Flint is straight and HIV-negative, but lives with a gay roommate.
"The things I heard from my family and friends about living with someone who was not heterosexual … when I found out about the caravan I jumped in," he said.
Eric, who has been on the trip from the beginning, said the remarks from Peterson and AIDS activist Elizabeth Dawsey "were the two best speeches that we've heard on this trip. This long journey was made worth it to hear you speak the truth."
John, who joined in Spokane, also gave high marks to the luncheon, which was provided by DirectRx.
"This is the best food I've had in about nine days," he said. "Thank God you guys don't eat spaghetti."
HIV-positive for the past 10 years, John is straight and engaged to an HIV-positive woman.
"Every city we stop in I get more and more energy and more and more fired up," he said.
Gary Karch, media relations director for MI-POZ, told the crowd of about 50 that AIDS, itself, is only part of the problem.
"AIDS is symptomatic of a larger, more powerful ill," Karch said. "The richest country in the world should be able to provide universal health care for all of its citizens. That's the real problem."
Karch said he believes the Campaign to End AIDS can have real impact.
"We will not end AIDS today, but this is the beginning of the end of AIDS."