AIDS memorial quilt is put on display in Founders Great Hall.
Six panels of the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on display in Founders Great Hall Nov. 30-Dec. 2, as part of Haverford's activities commemorating World AIDS Day, Thursday, Dec. 1. They can be viewed from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Nov. 30 and Dec. 2, and 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Dec. 1.
There will also be a panel discussion Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. addressing the AIDS epidemic among young people. Students will hand out statistics and brochures about the disease.
“The main problem in getting people to do AIDS work is that many feel very disconnected to the disease and think that it has no impact on their lives,” says junior Claire Fawcett, organizer of World AIDS Day events.“By bringing the AIDS Memorial Quilt to Haverford and talking about the prevalence of AIDS among young people, I hope that the immediacy and relevance of the crisis will hit home and therefore cause people, at the least, to proactively prevent AIDS in their own lives and at the most, to take action in the worldwide fight against AIDS.”
The AIDS Memorial Quilt is considered the largest ongoing community arts project in the world, with more than 44,000 squares – each memorializing victims of AIDS. Sewn together by friends and families of the victims, the quilt is a moving and visual testament to the reality of the illness. Last time the quilt was shown in its entirety, in 1996, it covered the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It has now become so large that it can only be displayed in sections.
Panels of the AIDS Quilt were last shown at Haverford in 2002. This year's display and accompanying World AIDS Day events are free and open to the public, and are sponsored by 8th Dimension, Haverford's Office of Community Service.
