San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Gilead finds new ways to support the memorial
of the most enduring symbols of hope in the fight against AIDS is the AIDS Memorial Quilt, all 54 tons of it. It started humbly enough in San Francisco but has since traveled the world, continuing to grow each year. In 2019, plans were laid for the Quilt — the world’s largest public arts project — to come home to “live” in San Francisco under the mission of the National AIDS Memorial. And that was made possible through a $2.4 million grant from Gilead Sciences.
During World AIDS Day that year, Gilead Chairman and CEO Daniel O’Day spoke of why support for the Quilt was so important.
“The Quilt spread patch by patch, from the Castro neighborhood to the rest of San Francisco, to the country, to the world. It came to represent the scale of the epidemic, the grief of the crisis that seemed unbeatable, while at the same time, representing the resilience of a community that refused to remain silent.”
Gilead continues its support for the Quilt today, working with the Memorial to bring it to the communities currently hardest hit by HIV/AIDS, particularly in the South and within communities of color, where infection rates continue to rise. This World AIDS Day more than 400 sections will be on display across the country, including at health centers, airport terminals, LGBTQ+ centers, churches and government institutions.
“Reaching into communities, whether through the Quilt or by supporting the education of future leaders, Gilead has been a strong partner of the National AIDS Memorial,” said Board Co-Chair Tom Raffin. “They have had a tremendous impact both as a scientific leader in the development of therapeutic treatments for HIV/AIDS, and through their philanthropic efforts, including helping young people with their educational pursuits.”
The Foster City-based science company has also teamed up with the Memorial to help develop the next generation of leaders through its support of the Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship. This year, the proOne gram provided $60,000 in financial assistance to 12 college students from across the country.
More than 100 scholarships have been awarded since the program began, with many recipients now working in their communities as health care workers, scientists and activists, working to advance health and social justice.
It’s through partnerships like these that the National AIDS Memorial is able to help ensure the story of AIDS will be forever told, that the fight for health and social justice will continue, and future generations will carry that torch forward.