I carry the lovely grace of growing up in Generation Z. My generation never heard Larry Kramer's famous 'How to Survive a Plague' speech or saw Benneton employ the infamous image of suffering David Kirby as a marketing strategy. I never witnessed regular humans painfully suffering both through the means of a deteriorating immune system and ostracization from the medical field and society itself. And that's something my entire generation and I share: an ignorance towards revolutionary history. Although society has altered its closed-minded norms and begins to enforce progressive dogmas, younger generations suffer at the cost of ignorance. On multiple accounts, I’ve witnessed my friends or people I’m surrounded by obliviously use AIDS as the subject to their pejorative joke; Almost as if they’re completely unphased by the historical gravity this disease holds. 

 

AIDS impacts everyone. Whether straight, gay, Asian, Hispanic, black, white, old, young; whatever it be, this disease at one point in time impacted the entire world. Some suffered from contractions and others suffered the emotional damage of witnessing their loved one pass through their fingers. We now live in a world where the younger generation is completely ignorant of the societal and medical strides made by the AIDS movement.

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A few months ago, I became completely immersed and intrigued by the history of the AIDS epidemic. Seeing how as of now we are about 10 years away from an HIV/AIDS vaccine, I felt inspired to plan an event to commemorate the lives lost while celebrating the future that is to come. Eventually, I came across the idea of a fundraiser. 

 

40 Years Since is a fundraiser event designed to celebrate AIDS treatment research and to commemorate the lives lost along the way. Artists are some of the most thought-provoking storytellers due to their subjective craft. With an event that marks a sentimental yet monumental moment in history, the presence of different art mediums offers tangible items that can be cherished as a symbolic token to various stories. At 40 Years Since, local art vendors, musical entertainment, and HIV/AIDS activist speakers will share their stories through their art to create an atmosphere that reflects on the brutal past while cherishing the revolutionary progression that has been accomplished 40 Years Since the AIDS epidemic. Donations will be made through ticket, red ribbon, and merchandise purchases at the event. Through music, arts, and uplifting speakers, 40 Years Since acknowledges history and celebrates the future.

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Sincerely,

Gaby Diaz

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