I write this email from my office in the heart of the Castro District. In the early days of the AIDS crisis this neighborhood was often referred to as “ground zero”! I vividly remember the feeling of fear, hopelessness and betrayal. There was fear about a mysterious illness afoot that no one knew much about, and it was killing our friends. There was a feeling of hopelessness and betrayal as our government and greater society was embracing hate, stigma, racism and othering. We felt alone in the early days but then we regained our power and rose up in LOVE ~ HOPE ~ ACTION & COMPASSION and began to change the trajectory of the epidemic. As a community we cared for each other and demanded action from our government. Through allyship with our friends, family and supporters we began to find hope. It was at this time that the AIDS Memorial Quilt & AIDS Memorial Grove were created, one in activism and one in healing but both deeply rooted in remembrance. These two symbols today stand as shining examples that out of darkness we can find light and hope in each other. TODAY, AGAIN, we stand in a similar place where our government and many in society are being driven by the dark forces of hate and division. We must again rise up, for our cause is just and we must share our hope with others who are struggling to stand up and fight.

As many of you know for the last 16 years, it has been the greatest honor of my life to serve as the leader of the National AIDS Memorial which is blessed to have both the Quilt and the Grove as pillars of our organization where we are committed to transform the legacy of the AIDS crisis into an enduring movement toward a just and healthy society for all. I ask you to not just support my AIDS Walk effort but also to support the National AIDS Memorial as 100% of your donation will go directly to support our work.

Thank you so much for your support and for embracing LOVE ~ HOPE ~ ACTION & COMPASSION