Today marks the 25th World AIDS Day. It is such a simple thing, remembering and acting to insure that more people do not have to die of AIDS, but far too many people are unaware–still! This morning as I turned on my television, I realized that more people will be concerned with Auburn’s chances at making the BCS Championship game than finding a proper cure for AIDS.
On this day, I borrow this photo created by Dr. Craig Gingrich-Philbrook of Southern Illinois University. The number, 41,027, is the number of people who died before Ronald Reagan spoke about the “gay cancer,” calling it by its proper name. Gingrich-Philbrook’s scratches on a skillet are deep and human, a desperate (?) call to survive political machines that work against her citizen’s well-being. This photo has always been a powerful image for me, for so many reasons, and so appropriate on this day.
[Image credit: Craig Gingrich-Philbrook]
