Remembering Joshua Copeland
“Joshua lived in Washington, DC—a city being ravaged by the HIV epidemic—but many of his friends lived on Sesame Street, which is a place where a person’s (or monster’s) color, age, gender, ability, and sexual orientation did not matter.
All that mattered was that a person, monster, or bird was surrounded by those who cared and loved for him/her.” - Eric Rosenthal and Jeffrey Menzer
Joshua Copeland and his twin sister Natasha were five months old when they were diagnosed with AIDS. Natasha did not recover from her initial illness and died shortly after.
In August 1991, their mother, Linda Copeland, was taken to the hospital where AIDS soon took her life. Joshua moved in with Eric Rosenthal and Jeffrey Menzer, a couple whom he met through the Project CHAMP program at Children's Hospital home. The couple formed an incredible bond with Joshua and cherished their time with him before AIDS stole his life from them.
Joshua's life was taken by AIDS when he was just three years old. Eric and Jeffrey penned this touching memorial, and sent it to us with his AIDS Quilt panel, in Joshua’s honor.
AIDS Memorial Quilt Panel for Joshua Copeland
By Jeffrey A. Menzer and Eric Rosenthal, Washington, D.C.
Joshua Copeland and his twin sister, Natasha, were born to Linda Copeland on March 6, 1989, in Washington, DC. When they were five months old, they were diagnosed with AIDS. Natasha did not recover from her initial illness and died shortly thereafter.
From the time of his birth, Joshua lived with his mother, brother, sister, grandmother, and aunt. In the early part of 1991, he began to spend weekends with Eric Rosenthal and Jeffrey Menzer—two gay men and lover/partners of several years—whom he met through the Project CHAMP program at Children’s Hospital. On August 5, 1991, he moved to Eric and Jeffrey’s home while his mother was in the hospital. She died on October 21, 1991.
Joshua was a student at the National Children’s Center where he excelled despite the challenges of his illness. At Children’s Hospital, he was cared for by many people, principally in the Special Immunology Clinic and on the 3-Orange pediatric medicine unit. He attended an after-school program operated by Pediatric Care at the Stewart McKinney House.
Joshua communicated both through spoken language and sign, although the latter vocabulary was more fully developed, but still very limited. Despite these barriers, his ability to communicate his needs and desires was excellent—especially to those who loved him most. During his final hospitalization, he widened his circle of friends through his demand not just for his pretzels, but that they be broken into small, lickable pieces.
He enjoyed what all children did: school, his friends, dogs, buses, trucks, guitars, playing on the swings, Sesame Street (especially Big Bird, Guy Smiley, Kermit, Elmo, and Oscar) and dancing to Madonna. Pictures of him with his mother appeared in AIDS materials published by Project CHAMP. His photograph also was featured in a Whitman-Walker Clinic publication and a U.S. Department of Energy exhibit on AIDS. His story was told in an article in the Hill Rag.
Joshua died on June 5, 1992, at 7:25 a.m. at Children’s Hospital. Right before he died, his favorite video “Sing, Hoot and Howl” was playing and he opened his eyes to respond to Eric and Jeffrey, who had been with him throughout the night.
In addition to his fathers, Eric and Jeffrey, Joshua is survived by his brother Isaiah and sister Mahera of Chandler, AZ; grandmother Shirley Dankyi; aunt Kim; godparents Andrea Scott and Kevin Mischka and many other loving friends—including his teacher Jenny Radovic, Nina Rudiger, his nurse Marlene Jordan, Alisa Macht—and many members in Washington and around the country.
A memorial service was held on June 20, 1992 at the Friends Meeting House in Washington, DC which was attended by over one hundred friends. During his life, Joshua was a very loved and a very loving child. He touched scores of hearts and made many friends. He had a special ability to attract caring people.
This is a story of the creation of a large, loving, and caring family. While Joshua’s family’s job was to help Joshua live and enjoy his life fully, Joshua’s HIV infection determined his job description. The fall and early winter of 1991 was a wonderful period for Joshua. He increased his sign language vocabulary, became more mobile, played on the swings frequently, ate spaghetti constantly, and most importantly stayed out of the hospital. But during the late winter and spring of 1992, his hospitalizations became more frequent and longer, his illnesses more debilitating and untreatable.
Although he may not have known it, Joshua was an AIDS activist. It wasn’t just his child-size “Action=Life” T-shirt made for him by Kevin. It was his love for his family that motivated them (and his lawyers) to fight the “system” to allow them to continue to care for and love him. In the end, he and they won, but the cost was his life.
Children with AIDS do not need the pity they have been given by the Reagan/Bush administration and by the Barry/Kelly administration in Washington, DC. Children with AIDS and the families that care for them need recognition and support. Although, first, they need families to care for them not institutions—no matter how nicely decorated and warehouse them. Institutional and personal prejudices must give way to acceptance and action. Joshua lived in Washington, DC—a city being ravaged by the HIV epidemic—but many of his friends lived on Sesame Street, which is a place where a person’s (or monster’s) color, age, gender, ability, and sexual orientation did not matter. All that mattered was that a person, monster, or bird was surrounded by those who cared and loved for him/her.
July 18, 1992
Washington, DC
Honoring Joshua, an avid Sesame Street Fan, through the AIDS Memorial Quilt
Adorned with some of his favorite characters and toys, Eric and Jeffrey crafted this touching AIDS Quilt panel for Joshua. If AIDS had not taken Joshua’s life, who knows what other hobbies and loves he would have found? If Joshua lived until eighty-three instead of three, perhaps his memorial would be adorned with notes from college friends, wedding photos, and flowers from grandchildren.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt aims to end HIV and AIDS by going beyond the statistics, highlighting the rich, unique stories of those like Joshua’s whose lives were taken from us. By sharing the stories of lives taken by HIV and AIDS, the Quilt puts names and faces to the heartbreak experienced throughout the ongoing crisis. The Quilt aims to foster a future where lives like Joshua’s will never be cut short again.
The Library of Congress record collection enhances these stories by delving deeper into the lives of those remembered through the Quilt. Eric and Jeffrey’s memorial, the image included above, and more mementos are preserved through this collection. Thousands of stories like Joshua’s are enhanced through this collection, allowing us to remember, in perpetuity, the lives lost, offer healing and hope to survivors, and inspire new generations of activists in the fight against stigma, denial, and hate for a just future. Read more of these stories:
