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AIDS Memorial Quilt Panel for: Kansas City Missouri Native American Coalition Chris W. Smith Sean Marcotte Mark Lee Knapp Joe Anthony Baptist Jerry James Hamilton and Ariel Gump Thomas Scott Smith EJ Byingion

The AIDS Memorial Quilt:


Courtesy The NAMES Project Foundation

Activist Cleve Jones began The AIDS Memorial Quilt in 1987. 1,920 panels were first displayed in the nation’s capital during the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987, to highlight the scale of the epidemic. By 2007, the Quilt included more than 46,000 panels representing over 80,000 people and it continues to grow.



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What does this image of global health mean to you?

Join the conversation was open for comment during the exhibition's installation at the National Library of Medicine from April 2008 to December 2010. Take a look at these photos that illustrate moments in global health history, and see what others had to say about them.

Read the comments left by previous visitors here.

31 Comments

The AIDS memorial quilt is a great way to show other people that AIDS is a serious issue, and that everyone can die from it. It's a great way for people to see the people who have died from AIDS and the quilt is awesome to show everyone that AIDs is a serious issue .


Hello,
My name is Monica Wynn, I really enjoyed my self. I learned of many things things that I knewing nothing about.... THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO INFORM US OF THE THINGS GOING ON TODAY!


the world medical exibiton was reallhy cool. i liked all the tvs and interactive things. they taught me a lot about the worlds medical issues and solutions. and i inspired me to want me to do more to help . i liked that it shows that can do little things taht matter to help change the world


I have 6 friends with panels on the quilt, and though I am deeply and profoundly saddened at their passing, I was never so moved as the day I walk along the Quilt and saw the name and age of a little child who succumbed to AIDS and was taken from her family, friends and this life much too soon. She was just 3.


I think it is REALLY nice to see that people are getting involved to help people in need!


I think that the quilt is a great project that helps people see just how many have been affected by AIDS in a way that can't be ignored. Seeing all of the panels laid out makes it impossible not to imagine all of the people that inspired the pieces...

And I have to respectuflly disagree with the last post. I feel that because of lack of sex education, lack of HIV/AIDS knowledge, and lack of sex protection resources, not everyone knows the risks behind unprotected sex or drug use or has the ability to get access to free condoms or clean needles... we need more programs and more education and more open dialogue to reach the millions of people each year who clearly don't get the risk... if they did, I doubt that, as you argue, most of them would continue to put themselves in situations where they might die.


Aids sucks. but 99% of people who get AIDS do drugs or are having unprotected sex. People nowadays all know that unprotected sex could give you an infection disease. Howver, this does not mean that they deserve AIDS. It does mean that people should understand why I don't want to waste my taxdollars on redundant programs and free treatement for those who knew the risks and still didn't put a condom on.


We believe this quilt will help bring awareness to the population. It honors the lives of those who have died from this disease and gives those who are still living with this disease hope that one day a cure will be found.


I think the memorial quilt is a great thing because it has a unforgetable feeling with the disease within us.


I think it a great idea because many people discriminate others that have aids and with this activity people will change their views towards others and learn to appreciate them.


I think that the quilt is a really good way of not only remembering those who lost thier lives to HIV/AIDS, but also to create awareness and acceptance.


The quilts give good aspects of the lives of those infected with HIV/AIDS. It affects a diverse group of people.


The quilt will be a good way in remembering those who lost there lives to AIDS. The quilt making was a great idea in dealing with this devastating situation.


The amount of people with AIDS is rapidly growing at and exponential rate every year. To help lower this rate exponentially we need to become more active to our audience: Childeren, Teens, and Adults. Teach them the conciquences and long term effects of making decision these that will inevitablly effect your life for ever.


The quilt is an ongoing effort that represents only a portion of the HIV/AIDS victims. There are so many others-family and friends included who are affected by this disease. The quilt is a tangible expression of unity to fight this disease and remember those who have died from it.


The quilt suggests unity amongst those who lost loved ones...its a good way of surviving the grief of losing someone!

Waysha
People to People
Summer 08


I liked the quilts they were very pretty and I liked the were cool!


Thank you for all u did to help u


its fun exhibit from trinity GS troop 6601


I like the quilt because it is a good idea to remember other people. I think that we should hang it up in a special measuem of thoses quilts so love members who have died could visit the name in the quilt. There should be quilts around the world so people could visit the;r love members!! I think that there should be people who could voulnteer to put names on a quilt. I love that idea!! Different girlscouts could put names up on a quilt!!


Hi, my name is Brandy. I think that the quilt is awesome. It is a great way to show how important it is to help others not die from aids.


It's good that we remember who we lost to such a infamous disease. I think it's a great way to express yourself.



I really loved the quilt. I thout it looked really cool and awesome. Its really neat here at
NLM. I learned alot of stuff. Thanks for letting my girlscout troup come here!


I think that the AIDS quilt was really cool to see because it justs lets me see how other people around the world care for AIDS and for others too.It was really cool to get a good experince of how others live in diffrent places. All this time I took everything for granted because I thought nothing like this could happen to me. But know I know that things like this can happen to me and I will deffinetly will be more careful.

olivia fiegel


its really touching many people are trying to help people with aids. the quilt is really cool, and its a special way to remember the people who have been affected.


To me, this quilt represents coming together and healing through a shared experience. It also represents a powerful personalization of AIDS and signals a change in the level of knowledge that the country had about AIDS.


I first saw the AIDS quilt exhibit when it arrived in Dallas, TX, and I don't ever remember something impacting me as much as the visual display of quilt after quilt telling each story.

Just as this current museum exhibit on world health provides pictoral as well as text information, the AIDS quilt exhibit offered a visual representation of this disease and brought home the personal nature of its consequences.

I understand that pictures, alone, are not enough to move people to action, but they are a powerful initial motivator. Good work to the staff who put this together.

Jo Barnes


It is amazing what the effort of a single person can do and evolve into, to raise awareness about a health issue. A quilt is meant to protect and this one has done so for the many individuals that have learned about HIV/AIDS through the stitches of passion and commitment for a cause.


Where does the AIDS quilt reside? Will it travel to my city?


The AIDS Memorial Quilt places a human face on AIDS and makes a personal connection with the disease in a way that is both moving and emotional. The Quilt makes us realize the devastating and widespread effects of the disease on both those that have died and those that remain behind.


Really interesting quilt.