In early October the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt was displayed for the last time in its entirety in Washington, D.C. -- the last time because the quilt has now grown too large to be exhibited in one place. With more than 10,800 panels, each honoring the memory of an individual who has died of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, the quilt covers 14 acres. But still, the panels represent only 18 percent of the AIDS deaths in the United States, and just 5 percent of the estimated deaths worldwide.
The quilt was begun by one man who lost a friend and wanted others to understand his grief and frustration. Awkwardly spray-painting his friend Marvin's name on a piece of cloth the size of his grave, Cleve Jones began a monument to the tragedy of AIDS. By personalizing the anguish, the organizers of the NAMES Project hope to "confront individuals and governments with the urgency and enormity of the AIDS pandemic and the need for an immediate and compassionate response."
The need for such a response continues to be critical. The National Commission on AIDS, charged by Congress to draft an initial report by next August, released its findings eight months early, stating in a December 6 letter to President Bush that the testimony on the nature of the crisis "was so compelling we felt it is vital to write to you now."
The report faulted Congress, private business, and in particular the Bush administration, stating, "There is no national plan for helping an already faltering health-care system deal with the impact of the HIV epidemic." HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus, which causes AIDS. Noting that the proportion of persons diagnosed with AIDS among intravenous drug users is growing rapidly, the report also soundly criticized the president's drug policy, which places greater emphasis on law enforcement than treatment.
The commission also pointed a finger at "a health-care system singularly unresponsive to the needs of HIV-infected people." Dr. David Rogers, vice chair of the commission, said, "Any other epidemic involving a million to a million-and-a-half Americans would have had a swifter response. This is like an earthquake or a hurricane."
FROM SOME CORNERS, A DEEPER LEVEL of response has been awakened. The World Health Organization chose December 1, 1989, as its second annual "AIDS Awareness Day." Among other creative responses, artists and galleries observed "A Day Without Art," some shrouding works of art or closing their doors to mourn AIDS' impact on the artistic community and draw attention to the crisis.
Some new signs of hope are emerging among the religious community as well. The first weekend of December, more than 120 national religious leaders and other delegates met in Atlanta for an interfaith consultation on AIDS. Spanning the religious spectrum, the participants put forth a unified "Call to Hope and Action" known as the Atlanta Declaration.
Asserting that the tragedy of AIDS has touched every person and religious institution in this society, and that the religious community has a moral imperative to provide leadership, the declaration calls for a comprehensive response to the crisis. That response should include education about AIDS prevention; protection against HIV- and AIDS-related discrimination; expansion of drug-treatment programs, medical options, and facilities; and access to compassionate care.
The document directly attacks racism and homophobia, as well as sexism and classism, which have made society -- including the religious community -- slow to respond to the crisis -- or to react with hostility, judgment, and fear. According to Dr. Bill Johnson, executive officer-elect of the AIDS National Interfaith Network, one of the sponsors of the consultation, the declaration "represents a great deal of vigorous commitment to AIDS ministry and social policy advocacy for AIDS awareness."
During the years that AIDS has been with us, many people in the religious community have responded with judgment, some even viewing AIDS as God's punishment. But others in the religious community have been very much at the center of compassionate ministry for persons diagnosed with AIDS.
There is much yet to be done. AIDS and the HIV virus continue to spread, ravaging minority communities in particular and claiming younger and younger victims, including teenagers and infants who contract it from their mothers in the womb. It is critical that we continue to provide compassionate care, advocate for adequate resources for AIDS research, work for responsive policies and health-care systems, and protect the civil rights of AIDS sufferers.
Let us each take responsibility to work for the day when there are no more panels to add to the AIDS quilt.
Joyce Hollyday was associate editor of Sojourners when this article appeared.
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