AIDS activism videos to get special screening
Collecting oral histories is a cornerstone of the archival practice at San Francisco’s GLBT Historical Society — all told, the society has recorded hundreds of stories. A big piece of this is its ongoing project to preserve the history of ACT UP/San Francisco, a group known for staging radical public protests and actions to help bring attention to the growing AIDS crisis, along with the histories of other direct-action groups.
The hope is that not only will the project preserve a pivotal moment in LGBT activism and history, but that it might also “foster dialogue between ACT UP veterans and younger organizers active in the current upwelling of social justice organizing,” according to the society.
This week, the GLBT Historical Society is staging the first public showing of the video interviews. Eventually, researchers will have access to the videos, which will be the basis of an upcoming exhibition at the GLBT History museum. But for now, this is a very special engagement for “Listen Up! Voices of AIDS Activism.”
After the screening, project manager Eric Sneathen plans to lead a group discussion about the content. Attendees can also expect video clip introductions by poet and writer Lauren Levin, cinema Professor Irwin Swirnoff and HIV researcher and medical student Patrick Martin-Tuite.