The Bay Area Reporter - November 24, 1999
Terry Beswick

But for people still toiling on the front lines, the day offers an opportunity to fight the complacency so often cited in recent years as the greatest obstacle to progress against HIV.

"Children & Young People: Listen, Learn, Live" is the theme adopted for many of the protests, seminars, memorials, and fundraisers planned all over the world. The day was designated World AIDS Day 12 years ago by the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS); this is the third consecutive year UNAIDS has directed special attention to youth.

For those who believe the AIDS epidemic is over, the most recent statistics may be informative; the numbers are beyond comprehension. According to a new report released Tuesday, November 23 by UNAIDS and the World AIDS Organization, HIV has infected 50 million people throughout the world to date; of these the virus has already killed 16 million.

In 1999 alone, an estimated 5.6 million men, women, and children will become infected with HIV.

With hundreds of events planned independently throughout the world, organizers hope that the day will help to "open channels of communication, strengthen the exchange of information and experience, and forge a spirit of social tolerance" in response to HIV/AIDS.

Many events are planned in the Bay Area, while a number of events may be accessed through the Internet.

The National AIDS Memorial Grove

Poetry, song, art, and education will help to commemorate World AIDS Day at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco. The grove, granted the same status as the Vietnam War Memorial by Congress and President Bill Clinton in 1996, is the only federally sanctioned national memorial to people who have died from AIDS. Thom Weyand, the grove's executive director, said that this year's ceremony will pay special homage to the gay people lost to AIDS, and to people under the age of 25, the group experiencing the highest rate of new HIV infections in the United States today.

"We want to inspire the general population and the powers-that-be to improve communications with young people around HIV," Weyand told the Bay Area Reporter. "It gets you in the heart when you're there û the immense loss that we've experienced." Wednesday's event begins at 11:30 a.m. The grove is located in the eastern end of Golden Gate Park, near Haight and Stanyan streets, north of the bowling greens and west of the tennis courts. For those who cannot attend, a virtual tour of the grove can now be accessed online anytime at www.queerculturalcenter.org. For more information, call (415) 750-8340.

'Every Penny Counts'

The AIDS Emergency Fund (AEF) has raised over $1.4 million dollars with its collection jars since 1987. AEF will celebrate World AIDS Day this year with its "Every Penny Counts" annual event at Union Square on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Seven hundred Bay Area businesses currently participate in the drive, placing collection jars in their stores, bars, and restaurants. Many students from local schools also pitch in, collecting pennies throughout November; last year, students from 52 schools contributed $29,000. Participants are encouraged to bring their filled jars to Wednesday's event, and to pick up empty jars for the year-round fundraising effort. For information on the campaign, call (415) 558-6985.

Preventing the second HIV epidemic

Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) will be the keynote speaker at "How Do We Prevent the Second HIV Epidemic?" Pelosi will be joined by former Congressman Ron Dellums and a host of AIDS experts discussing current challenges in HIV prevention science and policy. A reception with the speakers will follow the three-hour symposium, which begins at 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Sponsored by the University of California at San Francisco's AIDS Research Institute, several hundred people are expected to attend the annual event at the university's Medical Sciences Building at 513 Parnassus Street. Registration is strongly encouraged; call (415) 597-UCSF or e-mail ari@psg.ucsf.edu.

Needle exchange protest

The Oakland Police Department has been disrupting needle exchange sites in recent months, according to ACT UP/East Bay, and protesters will commemorate World AIDS Day by staging a demonstration to draw attention to the problem. Organized by ACT UP/East Bay, the Berkeley Needle Exchange, the Alameda County Needle Exchange, and the California Nurses Association, the protest will be begin at 5 p.m. at the Alameda County Building at 1221 Oak Street in Oakland. For information, call (510) 568-1680.

Walnut Creek candlelight march

East Bay activists, as well as artists and business people, plan a candlelight march through the streets of Walnut Creek to "bring attention to the apathy within the community." Marchers will gather at 6 p.m. at Liberty Valley Plaza at Mount Diablo and Broadway streets. Candles will be provided for the procession to the Dean Lesher Regional Center for the Arts, which is co-sponsoring the march with the Genard AIDS Foundation and the Walnut Creek Business Association. For information, call (925) 735-2437.
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