Nonprofits, community organizations and local governments across Los Angeles County will comemmorate World AIDS Day on Friday, Dec. 1, memorializing those who have died from the disease in a series of events.
This is the 35th anniversary of World AIDS Day, which originally launched in 1988.
The purpose of the event, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is to remember the hundreds of thousands of lives lost to HIV/AIDS; rally support for HIV research, treatment and prevention; and help end stigma related to the disease.
The American AIDS epidemic broke out in the early 1980s, and was largely ignored by the U.S. government because the illness predominately impacted LGBTQ folks.
The disease has killed more than 330,000 gay and bisexual men since the 1980s, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and sparked an ongoing movement advocating for better HIV/AIDs research, prevention, treatment and de-stigmatization of folks diagnosed with it.
“Over the past 35 years,” HHS’ website says, “there has been significant progress in addressing HIV and AIDS thanks to advancements in medical research, increased access to treatment and prevention, and a broader understanding of the virus.”
But HIV/AIDs still impacts millions of people — predominately gay and bisexual men — in the United States every year.
As of October, there were approximately 1.2 million Americans living with HIV, according to HHS data. About 13% of those folks don’t know they have the illness and are in need of testing.
Black and Latino communities, HHS added, continue to be disproportionately impacted by the disease — which could be because of myriad factors, including income, education, geographic region and other socioeconomic issues.
Several local events on Friday will aim to remind the broader community that HIV/AIDs is still a threat; help folks access necessary testing, prevention, and treatment resources; and memorialize those who’ve died from the illness.
Below is a look at some, but certainly not all, of those events. All events are on Friday unless otherwise noted.
Arcadia
Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger will host a Worlds AIDS Day Breakfast event at 8 a.m. at The Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave.
“We all play a part in ending HIV, not just on World AIDS Day, but every day,” Barger said in a statement. “Knowing your HIV status, getting tested, and talking about HIV are important steps we can all take to reduce HIV-related stigma.”
The event is a collaborative effort between Barger’s office, the L.A. County Commission on HIV, VIA Care, the Pasadena Public Health Department, APLA Health, AMAAD Institute and other organizations dedicated to ending AIDS.
Paul Edmonds, one of only five people in the world to achieve full remission of AIDS, is expected to share his story during the breakfast.
“A big reason I want to tell my story is to bring some hope for people with HIV,” Edmonds told the City of Hope as part of its “success” story published in April. “And I want to remember all those we lost.”
Long Beach
Dignity Health’s St. Mary Medical Center in Long Beach will celebrate the reopening of its CARE Center — a full service LGBTQ health care facility, with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS treatment — at 11:30 a.m.
All of the CARE Center’s services, which range from HIV testing to dental care, have been relocated into one facility at the SMMC campus, according to a recent news release.
“All of our services are now offered in one convenient setting that has been designed with your comfort and privacy in mind,” SMMC’s website said. “We offer the same great set of comprehensive services and want to help you live your healthiest, most authentic life possible.”
The Friday event will celebrate the new location and feature a World AIDS Day commemoration, during which the names of people who’ve died from the disease over the past year will be read aloud.
It will also feature art donated by local artist Sergio Rodriguez and others. The event will take place in the Parr Health Enforcement Center,1050 Linden Ave.
The LGBTQ Center Long Beach will also host a World AIDS Day health fair at its headquarters, 2017 E. Fourth St., from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Folks can get free and confidential HIV testing during the event, participate in workshops to learn more about the disease, and get additional general health information from a resource hub.
Long Beach’s Department of Health and Human Services will host a resource fair in honor of World AIDS Day at 4 p.m. at Houghton Park’s Doris-Topsy Community Center, 6301 Myrtle Ave.
A panel discussion featuring Ninth District Councilmember Joni Ricks-Oddie, Dr. Cliff Okada, and Dr. Tempe Chen about the future of HIV care will begin at 6 p.m.; with a candlelight vigil and memorial slated for 7 p.m.
Long Beach will also light several of its landmarks, including Civic Center buildings and the Long Beach freeway sign, red in honor of World AIDS Day.
And finally, Cal State Long Beach’s Kleefeld Contemporary Museum of Art will host a series of free events focused on World AIDS Day on both Friday and Saturday.
They include:
- Friday: A chat with HIV/AIDS activist Joey Terrill at 12 p.m. and a drag makeup tutorial at 4 p.m.
- Saturday: A mobile HIV testing unit from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Saturday: “Barriers to LGBTQ Wellbeing” speaker panel at 11 a.m.; artist workshop with Pau S. Pescador at 12:45 p.m.
Fore more information about CSULB’s programming for World AIDS Day, visit tinyurl.com/KleefeldAIDSDay.
Los Angeles
The Wall Las Memorias, a community health and wellness organization dedicated to serving Latino, LGBTQ and other marginalized groups, will host its 27th annual Noche de Las Memorias at 6 p.m.
“The evening will be comprised of inspirational messages, prayer, musical performances, poetry,” according to a recent press release, “and the emotional highpoint will be personal testimonials from those that have lost loved ones.”
The virtual event, with pre-taped messages that will be broadcast from The Wall Las Memorias AIDS Monument in Lincoln Park, will be livestreamed on Facebook and YouTube.
The Men’s Health Foundation’s SoCal Club, 8601 South Broadway, will host a World AIDS Day event from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., while UNIDOS will host its 31st annual World AIDS Day commemoration from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Ukrainian Culture Center, 4315 Melrose Ave.
Thousand Oaks
California Lutheran University will host a panel discussion at candlelight vigil from 6 to 8 p.m. on campus, 60 W. Olsen Road. The event, according to CLU’s website, will ask folks to “consider HIV/AIDS not only as a global health issue, but also as a social justice issue that impacts local communities.”
The event will take place in the Lundring Events Center.
West Hollywood
The Elizabeth Taylor Aids Foundation and The Abbey Food & Bar will commemorate their 14th annual World AIDS Day tree-lighting ceremony from 5 to 7p.m.
The free event at The Abbey will be hosted by Sutton Stracke, who also hosts the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
It’ll feature a welcome performance from the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles; the tree lighting; and a performance by singer-songwriter Lyle Anthony.
The city of West Hollywood, in partnership with APLA Health and the Foundation for The AIDS Monument, will also host a candlelit procession, beginning with a reception at 5:30 p.m. on the Respite Deck at the West Hollywood Rec Center.
Shortly after, the procession will begin at the Rec Center’s entry and proceed from Robertson Boulevard to Santa Monica Boulevard to San Vicente Boulevard; ending at the West Hollywood City Council chambers.
A screening of the documentary “Commitment to Life,” which chronicles the fight against HIV/AIDs in Los Angeles, will be shown in the council chambers at 7:15 p.m.
City News Service contributed to this report.