Today is World Aids Day around the world. Today is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. It is common to hold memorials to honor people who have died from HIV/AIDS on this day. Spread awareness and not the disease. In '06 there were an estimated 1.1 million people living with HIV, almost half (46%) were Black. It's as simple as getting tested or WRAP IT UP people. It is preventable. AIDS has killed more than 25 million people between 1981 and 2007, and an estimated 33.2 million people worldwide live with HIV as of 2007, making it one of the most destructive epidemics in recorded history.
The AIDS quilt is an enormous quilt made as a memorial to and celebration of the lives of people who have died of AIDS-related causes. It weighs an estimated 54 tons, it is the largest piece of community folk art in the world as of 2009. Each "block" (or section) of The AIDS Memorial Quilt measures approximately twelve feet square, and a typical block consists of eight individual three foot by six foot panels sewn together. Virtually every one of the more than 40,000 colorful panels that make up the Quilt memorializes the life of a person lost to AIDS. As the epidemic continues claiming lives around the world and here in the United States, the Quilt continues to grow and to reach more communities with its messages of remembrance, awareness and hope.
GET TESTED. WRAP IT UP.