It's Time to Change the Pattern
in the fight to end HIV and AIDS in the South. In 2023, the National AIDS Memorial brought sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt to communities throughout the Southern U.S to honor Black and LATINX lives lost to HIV and AIDS.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on tour again soon!
Watch this space for updates.
In 2020, the South comprised 38% of the U.S. population but represented over half of new diagnoses.
Thousands of people joined us in 2023 in reimagining the fight to end HIV in the South as we brought the AIDS Memorial Quilt and powerful events and programming to twelve Southern states most impacted today.
Quilt Displays Honoring Black and latinx Lives Lost to AIDS
The National AIDS Memorial (NAM), steward of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, partnered with the Southern AIDS Coalition to launch a major initiative that brought sections of the Quilt to communities in the southern United States as a teaching tool in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
What is the AIDS Memorial Quilt?
The AIDS Memorial Quilt helps us remember the unique lives and stories of those we’ve lost to HIV/AIDS. Drivers of change use the Quilt as a powerful tool to bring generations together and raise awareness about the impact of the ongoing epidemic.
These powerful Quilt exhibitions featured more than 500 hand-stitched AIDS Quilt panels honoring Black and Latinx lives lost to AIDS. Included were new, never-before-seen panels made by local individuals and communities.
Funded by a $2.4 million grant from Gilead Sciences, programming utilized interactive experiences, storytelling, panel-making workshops and more to engage the public. Through Change the Pattern, we inspired communities to take active roles in their health, challenge cultural stigmas, and continue the legacy of advocacy for marginalized individuals.
Meet our sponsors
The National AIDS Memorial, Southern AIDS Coalition and Gilead Sciences brought sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt to communities throughout the Southern U.S to highlight and honor Black and Latinx lives lost to HIV and AIDS as part of Change the Pattern, a new initiative to reimagine the response to the epidemic in the region.
SHARING OUR STORIES -- SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITIES
As is tradition with the AIDS Quilt to support HIV/AIDS service organizations doing important work in their communities, the National AIDS Memorial, Southern AIDS Coalition and Gilead Sciences are inviting interested Southern-based organizations to apply for funding through special grant programs through the Change the Pattern initiative.
JACKSON EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND is providing $100,000 in grants to support Jackson area HIV/AIDS service organizations to support their work and who have been impacted by water crisis that continues in the region.
QUILT PANEL-MAKING WORKSHOPS FUND is supporting local quilt-making workshops throughout the South to help ensure the stories of Black and Latinx lives lost to HIV/AIDS are captured through newly-sewn panels on the Quilt through the Memorial’s Call My Name program.
