San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)

‘Voices of hope’ events held to mark AIDS Day

- By Lauren Hernandez Lauren Hernandez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@ sfchronicl­e.com Twitter: @LaurenPorF­avor

Hundreds of people affected by AIDS — both survivors and their loved ones — sat under a sprawling white canopy adorned with twinkling lights and snowflake-like ornaments on the 25th Annual World AIDS Day Saturday at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park.

Sunshine peeked through the translucen­t canopy when John Cunningham, executive director of the National AIDS Memorial, stood on the stage and proclaimed, “I am a man living with AIDS,” and invited dozens of men to rise to their feet and stand in solidarity with him.

The gesture was part of the broader goal of reducing the stigma for those affected by HIV and AIDS.

The observance “is an opportunit­y for us to stop, reflect, remember and redouble our efforts and bring an end to the epidemic, which has taken almost three-quarters of a million lives in America,” Cunningham said. “It is my responsibi­lity ... that these lessons of the epidemic will never be forgotten and we will never return to a time of neglect, stigma, discrimina­tion and forget.”

This year’s ceremony was focused on the theme of “voices of hope,” and, more specifical­ly, how HIV and AIDS disproport­ionally affects communitie­s of color.

San Francisco state Sen. Scott Wiener sat among the crowd of hundreds and said in a statement that officials must work to eliminate HIV-related deaths.

“We must also ensure that all communitie­s — including lowincome people, people of color, and transgende­r people — receive the benefits of our advances around HIV, including access to medication,” Wiener said.

Cunningham said San Francisco officials have made “great progress” in the past few decades, but that officials need to acknowledg­e how the epidemic adversely affects low-income communitie­s and communitie­s of color.

“African American members of our community are three times more likely to be infected by HIV and AIDS than the general population,” he said. “We refer to this as ‘disparitie­s,’ but they are a way of technicall­y writing it off. What it really is is injustice.”

As part of the National AIDS Memorial Surviving Voices initiative, which worked in conjunctio­n with the HIV Story Project, officials showed a short video focusing on how the epidemic has touched the Asian and Pacific Islander community.

In the film, Jane and Al Nakatani share their stories of acknowledg­ing and overcoming their deep-rooted homophobia after two of their three sons died after being diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. The couple went on to create a nonprofit organizati­on called Honor Thy Children, where they have addressed schools, faith and government organizati­ons, discussing the importance of showing compassion for those affected by HIV and AIDS.

The couple received the Humanitari­an Leadership Award for their work on Saturday.

The Recollecto­rs Project, a community and storytelli­ng website for children whose parents died of AIDS, received the Thom Weyand Unsung Hero Award.

Seth Hammac, one of the 2018 World AIDS Day co-chairmen, presented the Unsung Hero Award and shared his own experience being the child of a parent who died from AIDS, and talked about this year’s theme, “voices of hope.”

“‘Voices of hope’ means to me that I am the hope for the voices of my daughters. I represent them until they can find their voices,” he said. “That’s something that I learned from my father in the way that he lived — as he lived with AIDS for 17 years.”

Hammac’s father died in 2004.

“This (Recollecte­rs) community was built from people who didn’t necessaril­y believe that there were others like them,” he said. “What the Grove means for me is that I have a space where I can bring my daughters to meet their grandfathe­r who they will never meet ... and also to share my own experience.”

About $50,000 in scholarshi­p money was awarded to three students as part of the Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarshi­p, named after a former cast member of MTV’s “The Real World 3: San Francisco.” He received nationwide attention after sharing his experience living with HIV on Oprah Winfrey’s show 23 years ago.

At the close of the ceremony, hundreds of people walked to the Circle of Friends in the grove’s Dogwood Crescent and listened to the reading of names that have been newly engraved on the memorial.

 ?? Photos by Jessica Christian / The Chronicle ?? Russ Smith (right) and Jake Tapia embrace during events held at the AIDS Memorial Grove at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco to mark World AIDS Day.
Photos by Jessica Christian / The Chronicle Russ Smith (right) and Jake Tapia embrace during events held at the AIDS Memorial Grove at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco to mark World AIDS Day.
 ??  ?? A trail of flower petals leads to the grove, where an observance honored those whose lives have been touched by AIDS.
A trail of flower petals leads to the grove, where an observance honored those whose lives have been touched by AIDS.

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