AIDS-Quilt Fight Symbolizes Shifting Priorities

A legal battle between Cleve Jones, a longtime AIDS activist and creator of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, and the Atlanta-based Names Project Foundation, the quilt’s caretaker, has illuminated the tension among activists, reports The New York Times.

As AIDS is affecting increasing numbers of minorities and the poor within the United States and all over the globe, some are wondering about the necessity of the AIDS quilt in the midst of a struggle whose face has changed.

The quilt, a 54-ton collage that is affixed with the names of 91,000 AIDS victims, requires constant upkeep and has been moved from San Francisco to Atlanta because of mounting costs and to reflect the diversity of AIDS victims.

Said Michael Petrelis, a writer and AIDS activist in San Francisco: “The quilt was very effective in the late 80s and early 90s for AIDS awareness. On the other hand, there’s hundreds and thousands of people that need a housing subsidy, just trying to keep a roof over their head. Should we be putting our time and money into another vigil?”

For more on the nonprofit response to AIDS in the United States, read The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s coverage.

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