AIDS Memorial Quilt

04/24/2026

Sixteen of the people closest to Greg Smith each worked on a different, deeply personal square of Greg's panel.

His mother, sister, ex-lover, friends, and co-workers then gathered in Oakland to stitch the final Quilt panel together to remember their Greg, an interpreter for the deaf with a love of opera and those around him. His name is spelled out using the denim, flannel, black leather, and gold lamé he used to wear.

🗣️ Say Greg Smith's name!

04/21/2026

📝 "I just had to write this letter to tell you how much I love and care for you... I am finally at peace," Paul wrote to his family and friends in the days leading up to his death.

A real estate broker from San Diego, Paul was the inspiration and organizer for the first 50-hour vigil at his church. His family immortalized this achievement and Paul's smiling face in this panel.

🗣️ Say Paul Burdett's name!

04/18/2026

Today is National Transgender Testing Day, a day to address the impact of HIV on transgender and nonbinary people.

When we reduce stigma, denial, and hate while promoting testing, prevention, and treatment, we can help . http://bit.ly/3yrWMMo

04/14/2026

📰 Chuck Morris (left) transformed The Sentinel, a small newspaper serving San Francisco's + community, into an editorial masterpiece at the forefront of contemporary LGBTQ+ issues.

The Sentinel is regarded as the first newspaper in the country to run a story on a rare form of pneumonia and cancer that had inexplicably afflicted gay men. Two years after Chuck himself was diagnosed with , he stepped away from work and moved to Denver with his partner, James Swope (right). There, Chuck fostered a love for quilting, where he sewed what would later become his own AIDS Memorial Quilt panel.

🗣️ Say Chuck Morris's name!

04/13/2026

❤️ "I miss Troy very much. He was not only my son, but my friend also...

"When he was younger, Troy always seemed to sleep quite a bit... On one occasion, Troy was outside playing and he told me that he was sleepy and wanted to go to bed. I was busy at the time and I told him I would put him to bed later. About a half an hour later, I went outside looking for him, I asked the neighbors if they had seen him, they said no, so we started calling him and checking different neighbors houses to see if he was there, by this time I am in a panic. I returned back to the house, and there Troy was lying on the bed fast asleep.

"As Troy grew into his teens, he grew up to be a very handsome young man, and the young ladies thought so also. In elementary and high school the young girls called him Troy “Brown Sugar.” The girls were always calling for him some would bring cards and one young lady brought a rose by the house for him.

"I can still hear him calling me on the telephone at work and saying “How you Ma” or sometimes he would call and say “How you Grabby?” “How you doing?” Whenever I think of these things, it brings a smile to my face.

"Troy was warm, loving, kind and generous. He would give his clothing money, or anything else he had away to those less fortunate than himself. Sometimes I would ask what happened to a particular article of clothing I had bought, and he would reply, “I gave it to someone because they did not have anything.” There is a saying that Children do not belong to us, they belong to God. He only lends them to us for a little while. I am so glad He loaned me Troy for even a little while. I would rather have had him for just a little while than not at all. We love you Troy and one day we will meet again." - Troy's mother, AKA Grabby.

This letter and image were sent to the from Troy's mother along with his beautiful panel. Today would have been Troy's birthday.

🗣️ Say Troy Brown's name!

04/10/2026

🧸 Jessica Hazard was an infant when AIDS took her life. What wonders would that life have held had it not been stolen by the AIDS crisis?

These panels were created in baby Jessica's honor, adorned with the images of a child's bed and stuffed animals. On National Youth HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, we recommit ourselves to sharing the story of and , fighting stigma and hatred to ensure that future children will not have to suffer.

🗣️ Say Jessica Hazard's name!

04/09/2026

founder Cleve Jones is starting a movement to honor the millions who have died from HIV/AIDS.

June marks 45 years after the CDC’s first account of what would come to be known as HIV/AIDS. During Cleve's Seven Days In June campaign, a week-long, nationwide series of actions from June 1–7, you can honor those we’ve lost to the HIV/AIDS crisis, and raise awareness about the impact of health cuts and inaction by hosting the AIDS Memorial Quilt in your community.

In honor of this momentous occasion, we're offering a $100 for those willing to host the Quilt from June 1-7: https://www.aidsmemorial.org/seven-days-in-june

04/08/2026

🕺 Michael Bennett won seven Tony Awards as a Broadway choreographer and director, bringing his passion for life to the stage.

After took Bennett's life, it was revealed that Bennett left a portion of his estate to fund research to fight the pandemic, striving to prevent others from suffering the way he did. Today would have been Bennett's birthday.

🗣️ Say Michael Bennett's name.

04/08/2026

36 years ago today, Ryan White died of .

When Ryan was 13, he became a household name for fighting national stigma to re-enroll in public school. Shortly after his death, President George H.W. Bush signed the CARE Act, which funds and treatment services for low-income people with HIV.

Ryan White's impact during his 18 short years of life is underscored by the outpouring of panels crafted in his honor.

🗣️ Say Ryan White's name, and learn more about his story: https://www.aidsmemorial.org/post/jeanne-white-ginder

04/04/2026

🎬 Anthony Perkins encapsulated audiences on the screen as the maniacal Norman Bates in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 horror classic Psycho.

Off the screen, Perkins worked with Project Angel Food, providing meals for housebound people with HIV while keeping his status secret. In a statement released shortly before his death in September 1992, he said: “There are many who believe that this disease is God’s vengeance, but I believe it was sent to teach people how to love and understand and have compassion for each other.”

This panel, made in Perkins's honor, ensures that he will never be forgotten and pays tribute to his incredible acting performance in Psycho. Today would have been Perkins's birthday.

🗣️ Say Anthony Perkins's name!

03/31/2026

Today is , a day to celebrate transgender people and raise awareness of the stigma and hate that the transgender community faces.

The community's resilience is underscored time and time again as the and crisis rages on. Listen to the stories of the activists and advocates who have fought against HIV and the stigma around it in this Surviving Voices mini-documentary:

In 2019, the National AIDS Memorial's Surviving Voices oral history project focused on the transgender community. This short documentary is culled from 17 i...

03/26/2026

Happy Birthday Nancy Pelosi!

The first female Speaker Emerita has been on the front lines in the fight against HIV and AIDS since the beginning of the crisis. Her leadership helped secure the National AIDS Memorial Grove as our nation’s designated memorial to AIDS, and her efforts were instrumental in bringing the back to the Bay Area.

"The National AIDS Memorial sends birthday wishes to our beloved friend and champion!! May all the gifts you have bestowed upon our nation come back to you tenfold!! Your love and support during the darkest days of the AIDS crisis hope and today on your birthday you continue to be a beacon of hope! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!" - The National AIDS Memorial team

Watch her speech in the Grove about love, action, and leadership: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anqXcX2aDHg&t=308s