WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden laid out an AIDS memorial quilt on the South Lawn of the White House for the first time on Sunday to commemorate World AIDS Day.
The president and his wife, Jill, were joined by survivors, families and activists who gathered to remember the lives lost to the pandemic.
The president highlighted federal support for the 1.2 million people in the United States living with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which can cause AIDS.
“This movement is completely woven into the fabric and history of America,” Biden said. “For all the lives lost and all the lives still living, look at what you have done to change hearts and minds and save lives across the country and around the world. Please. That's the power of this movement.”
As many as 124 quilts were laid out on the lawn in memory of those who have died from AIDS-related illnesses.
The quilt was invented in 1985 and first presented to the public in 1987. A red ribbon hung on the south portico of the White House, a symbol of support and awareness for people living with HIV and AIDS.
According to the White House, there are 40 million people worldwide who are infected with HIV.
Biden was introduced by Gene White-Ginder, whose son Ryan White contracted AIDS from a contaminated blood transfusion at age 13 and died in 1990 at age 18. She said her son's experience taught America that “we need to fight AIDS.” Not the people who have it. ”
The Ryan White Cares Act was enacted into law in 1990, and Mr. White and Grinder met Mr. Biden at the U.S. Capitol to advocate for the bill when he was a senator from Delaware. I remembered.
The president also paid tribute to Dr. Anthony Fauci, who was the nation's top infectious disease expert until he left the administration in 2022. Although Dr. Fauci works to treat AIDS and was present at the event, he is known to many across the country for his work on the AIDS issue, but the coronavirus pandemic has caused him to miss many opportunities. was the subject of criticism from Republican lawmakers.
The Biden administration has aimed to invest in stemming the HIV epidemic and the stigma against people with HIV.
Among other measures, it has worked to expand access for at-risk populations to PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, which is used to prevent HIV infection.
