The National AIDS Memorial, through the AIDS Memorial Grove, the AIDS Memorial Quilt, and inspiring programs, works to help ensure that the lives of people who died from AIDS are never forgotten. More than 30 years ago a group of strangers gathered in a San Francisco storefront to remember the names of their loved ones they feared history would forget – and with that seemingly simple act of love and defiance, the first panels of The Quilt were created. That same year those first memorials began to travel the nation and in October of 1987, they were display alongside 1,900 other Quilt panels on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. – making it impossible for the world to dismiss or deny AIDS. Today, Nobel Prize-nominated AIDS Memorial Quilt stands as the largest, ongoing community art project in the world. An epic expression of hope and love, The Quilt now weighs more than 54 tons, was created by more than 100,000 individuals and includes more than 5,000, 12-foot by 12-foot blocks. Over the past 30 years, The Quilt has been seen by more than 22 million people around the world, and has raised more than $5 million for direct services for people with HIV/AIDS. In 2005, The Quilt was declared an official American Treasure under the Save America’s Treasures Act – recognizing The Quilt as part of America’s priceless historic legacy and one that helps explain America’s past to future generations. Today, The Quilt weighs 54 tons and includes more than 52,000 panels created by more than 100,000 individuals.
