AIDS Quilt Helps Raise Awareness at UCSD

Christine Clark | December 3, 2007

Part of the traveling AIDS Quilt at UCSD Price Center Ballroom

It is a work of art that fosters healing. It raises awareness. It also reminds us of the dangers of HIV. Members of the UCSD community reflected Friday on the AIDS Memorial Quilt, the largest ongoing art project in the world. They had the opportunity to view three portions of the quilt at the Price Center Ballroom.

Although it rained heavily the day the display was up, the turnout was better than expected, said Shaun Travers, director of UCSD’s LGBT Resource Center. The quilt was first created in 1987 and it was a major part of UCSD’s recognition of World Aids Day, Travers also said. UCSD also marked the day with various art displays and a panel discussion that featured HIV-positive guest speakers. "Their stories were really powerful," Travers said. "One of the speakers was an HIV positive mother with two children who tested negative." In addition, films about HIV such as "And the Band Played On" and "Philadelphia" played at the exhibit. 

UCSD senior John Figg said the quilt is a powerful piece of art, especially for people who have been directly affected by HIV and AIDS. Figg came to view the quilt because he had friends diagnosed with the virus. "I took care of a friend for six months who had AIDS," Figg said. "People need to see the quilt. It is a beautiful artistic expression that shows compassion for mankind."

From left: Shaun Travers and Student Health Advocates Bryan Lee, Steven Lada, and Tammy Torres.

The event was co-sponsored by the Student Health Advocate (SHA) student group. SHA’s members are UCSD undergraduates trained to educate other students about health issues and concerns and to promote wellness on campus through outreach programs and events, said Sexual Health Events Coordinator, Moira Rashid. "As Student Health Advocates, we try to promote the importance of awareness and testing,” Rashid also said. “I think generally UCSD students and a lot of Americans tend to think that HIV has become a distant disease that only happens in Africa and other developing countries."

Rashid is a senior at UCSD and she said she hoped that World AIDS Day this year was an opportunity for students and the general community to learn and engage themselves in the day’s events. She added that SHA strived to create an atmosphere that was quiet and reflective.

Joe Colby is a fourth-year student who attended the event because it related to his coursework. "I am in a biology class about HIV," Colby said. "I am not really interested in the technical aspects of the class, but I am interested in the human side of it. This event has helped me learn about the people who are affected by HIV."