The team was able to display a few panels for all to see, and in various spots around town, other panels were put being shown as well. They also had volunteers reading the names of each person who had a square made in their memory. We listened to quite a few, but I'm sure the reading of 48 thousand names, lasted all day and into the evening. It was sobering to realize that each name read was one more person who wasn't here anymore due to this horrible disease. But it was uplifting to see the amount of people that were there, even in the rain and chill, to support the cause. There were red ribbons, and The Last One tees supporting the cause everywhere. And a steady stream of volunteers, facing the crowds and reading a portion of the names. I would have loved to see the quilt in all its glory, because I'm sure the feeling of support, love and compassion we were all feeling would have increased exponentially. It's wonderful to know that so many people are committed to stopping this one disease today. If only this love and compassion had been there when the pandemic had first started, some of these people would not have had to die thinking they deserved it just for being who they were.
Remember. Understand. Share the lessons. Act.
You might notice what I just learned today, that each square that is created, is the size and shape of a grave.
Created by members of the Bristol Myers Squibb team, who was the major sponsor of this weekend's events.
Stage where all the names were read.
These few panels were displayed at the Smithsonian Museum of American History. The yellow panel below was created to honor Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, who died from the disease in 1991.
And of course, an artsy Instagram.
