Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Miami Herald - November 28, 2006
Erika Beras, eberas@MiamiHerald.com
South Florida's oldest and largest HIV/AIDS service organization, CARE Resource threw the first White Party in 1984. Twenty-five people attended.
"AIDS was only in its third year and we had a president who wouldn't say the word," said Terry DeCarlo of CARE.
This year, more than 4,000 people were in attendance. "It's become the disease that defines our time," DeCarlo said.
Although organizers aren't sure how much money was raised, they expect upward of $350,000. Last year, they brought in $285,000. One hundred percent of the profits go toward AIDS education and awareness, such as setting up testing tents throughout Miami on Friday, World AIDS Day.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Florida has the second highest HIV/AIDS infection rate of all the states. Forty-five percent of all people living with AIDS in Florida reside in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. They also comprise 44 percent of the state's HIV cases.
The White Party, while not directly solving any of these issues, attempts to ameliorate them. The event attracts people from all over the world. Its flagship party, at which all attendees wore white, was held Saturday night at Vic.
Jose Enrique Cabrera, 40, an insurance consultant, has traveled to New York and Chicago for white parties but says the ones in Miami are the best. "I've lost a lot of friends to AIDS," he said.
The single parent of three adolescent children, he went to work Monday morning and then immediately headed over to Club Space. He stood among sweaty partygoers as they spilled onto a Miami sidewalk on Northeast 11th Street outside the club at 4 p.m. as a house version of Christina Aguilera's Ain't No Other Man played in the background.
Diana Rodriguez, 37, a paralegal who took the day off to go dancing at Club Space, summed it up: "It's a good cause, and the music is incredible."
061128
MH061104
Copyright © 2006 - Miami Herald. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Miami Herald, Permissions, One Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132-1693 TEL: (305) 376-3719. http://www.herald.com.
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 2006. 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, 2006. 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. .