Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Bay Area Reporter - December 7, 2000
Katie Szymanski
A packed tent of more than 250 people occupied the green oasis nestled within Golden Gate Park to participate in a commemorative tree planting and to hear speeches from a range of community leaders who urged the crowd to use HIV's lessons as tools of compassion, awareness, and power.
"This is a day ... to renew our efforts," said Assemblywoman Carole Migden (D-San Francisco), one of the event's featured speakers.
San Francisco's poet laureate Janice Mirikitani read a poem about a young girl whose life was ravaged by AIDS after being sold into prostitution by her family.
Gay spiritual author Christian de la Huerta said one way to beat HIV was for LGBT people to recognize and recover their enhanced capabilities for spirituality.
"It's ironic that so many of us reject religion, when there's so much evidence that we've played such important roles throughout history," said de la Huerta, who attributed the world's ills to a chaotic state in which the energies of spiritual people are not being tapped.
"The gatekeepers have been fired from their jobs," said de la Huerta. "We must reclaim our archetypal spiritual roles."
The Reverend Ron Swisher, an African American minister at Taylor United Methodist Church in Oakland, said that churches in general had not done enough in the fight against AIDS, but that community organizing has led the way for improvement.
"African American people have that soul and spirit ... that has moved the core of their being to struggle and thrive in the worst conditions in this world," said Swisher.
Other topics, such as medical advances, the role of lesbians as the caretakers of gay men, and children with HIV, were also addressed during the ceremony. And the third annual grove award was presented to Hosea Turner for his work at the HIV organization Shanti, where he transports people to their doctors' appointments, takes them food shopping, and assists them with daily errands and physical tasks. Turner was ill and unable to attend the event; his award was accepted by Jorge Guzman, associate director of client services for Shanti.
The day wrapped up with an unspoken pledge by those in attendance to do more for what and who they care about, a sentiment that Dr. Stephen E. Follansbee declared as the true purpose of the grove.
"The grove is not for the past," said Follansbee. "It is a promise for the future."
The National AIDS Memorial Grove, conceived in 1989 and developed in 1991, is the country's only nationally designated memorial for people who have died of AIDS. Since the epidemic was identified and defined in 1981, California has accounted for 17 percent of the country's 700,000 AIDS cases.
001207
BR001202
Copyright © 2000 - The Bay Area Reporter. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the The Bay Area Reporter.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2000. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2000. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .