We’ve come a long way and this proves it…but there is still a lot
more to go
Other illnesses in the past have had their entries in the
Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California. However, even after 30
years of the HIV epidemic America had been unable to stare at AIDS in the face.
It has been a subject that nobody wants to talk about, no organization wanted
to get associated with and most of all, it was perceived as an exclusively gay malaise.
No more, this is no longer the case as HIV strikes everyone
in all races, gender and sexual orientation. It is also now easier to approach
as a subject because LGBT Americans have made great strides in gaining their
civil rights and also because of the changing attitudes towards homosexuality
by the population at large.
Oh, sure, there are still pockets of hatred and ignorance
out there, mostly emerging from the pulpits of those right-wing religious
fanatics…those very preachers that spew out vitriolic garbage about gays and
yet, many of them are caught engaging in homosexual affairs. Why go into the
details, we all know who they are.
AHF’s parade float entry—the first
in the 123-year history of the Tournament parade to focus on HIV/AIDS and the
first-ever sponsored by the 25-year-old global AIDS organization—honors
two-time Academy Award-winning actress Elizabeth Taylor for her tireless, nearly three decade-long advocacy and
compassion on behalf of people with HIV/AIDS. Taylor, who died March 23rd at
age 79, championed HIV and AIDS programs starting in the 1980s, she co-founded
the American
Foundation for AIDS Research (amFAR)
in 1985 and the eponymous Elizabeth Taylor AIDS
Foundation (ETAF) in 1993.
“Our Tournament of Roses Parade float is a tribute to
someone who was more than a film star—Elizabeth Taylor was a real hero and one
who truly deserves all the accolades she has received,” said Michael Weinstein,
President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which provides medical care and
services to more than 124,000 people in 26 countries around the globe. “Long
before it was fashionable, she was there by our side—a singular and fearless
champion for AIDS activism. She spoke truth to power on a variety of issues,
and her organization, which had no overhead, helped fund AHF and other AIDS
organizations in Los Angeles at a time when funding was hard to come by. For
her to speak out and show her compassion really changed the game.”
Over the years AIDS Healthcare
Foundation received several grants from the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation
(ETAF). These funds were specifically designated for AHF’s ‘Ithembalabantu’
Clinic (Zulu for ‘people’s hope’) in Durban, South Africa, which provides free
lifesaving antiretroviral treatment to people with AIDS. The first of these
grants came long before President George W. Bush created the US’ global AIDS
program known as PEPFAR
(President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) and at a time when treatment was not widely available in
poor countries around the world. Just has she had in the earliest days of the
epidemic, Ms. Taylor once again demonstrated real leadership in the fight
against AIDS—this time, in helping to prove that treatment could and should be
brought to those in need around the world.
“AHF’s ‘Our Champion’ float also
serves as a reminder that, though Ms. Taylor bravely stood up for people living
with HIV/AIDS at an important moment in history, the AIDS epidemic is still not
over and there remains much work to be done,” added Weinstein.
Sale
of ‘AHF Memory Flowers’ will help build AHF’s ‘Our Champion’ Float
In another potential first for the
Tournament of Roses Parade, the public at large across the country and around
the world will have a chance to contribute to the construction of AHF’s float
honoring Elizabeth Taylor while also honoring memories of their own loved ones
who have died. This week, AHF is kicking off a novel ‘Text to Donate’
fundraising campaign offering the sale of ‘AHF Memory Flowers.’ For a modest $5
dollar donation contributed via a cell phone text donation, a donor will have
the name of a loved one who has died hand-written on a water vial holding one
of the over 150,000 roses that will make up the Elizabeth Taylor float. The
significance of the roses is that they will serve as “memory flowers”, honoring
any “rose” in your life that you miss. To participate in the AHF Memory Flower
living tribute honoring Elizabeth Taylor’s AIDS advocacy and your own loved
one, simply text the word FLOWER and the NAME OF THE PERSON you are honoring to
the text number 20222.
AHF’s
‘Elizabeth Taylor: Our Champion’ Parade Float
AHF’s ‘Elizabeth Taylor: Our
Champion’ Parade Float has been designed by award winning float designer Raul
Rodriquez (No relation to this blogger although I have met him) and is being
built by the respected and award-winning Fiesta Parade floats. The float will be made of 150,000 flowers and will take
the form of an oversized red ribbon, the international symbol of AIDS, with a
circling world globe. There will be photographs of Taylor from various stages
in her life and career: from ‘National Velvet,’ her breakthrough film as a
child; from the film, ‘Cleopatra;’ and an iconic photo from her later years
when she was devoting much of her life to advocacy on AIDS. The photos will be
largely be rendered in black and white, using seeds and grains to capture the
effects of a black and white photo. At least one of the photos will have spot
color, also rendered in seeds, grains and flowers: for her world famous eyes,
and to color a small red AIDS ribbon pinned to her blouse.
“We are honored that the Executive
Board of the Tournament of Roses approved our float this year and who better to
honor than the late Dame Elizabeth Taylor for her leadership on AIDS,” added
AHF’s Weinstein. “This year, the theme of the Tournament of Roses Parade is
‘Just Imagine.’ In honor and remembrance of Elizabeth, let’s imagine and work
toward a world without AIDS.”
Our Champion
As the world commemorates this 30th
anniversary of the discovery of the HIV virus, AIDS Healthcare Foundation is
celebrating one of the true champions in the war on HIV and AIDS, Dame
Elizabeth Taylor.
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