In conjunction with the exhibit Sewn in Memory: AIDS Quilt Panels from Central Illinois, this special presentation explores the AIDS crisis in the Champaign-Urbana Area. Experts will share some history from the local LGBTQ+ community, the first local responses to the AIDS pandemic, the mobilization of public health, and the current local challenges with HIV/AIDS. There will also be a screening of some oral histories with people at the front line of the crisis, produced by Illinois Public Media. Speakers include Jerry Carden, co-founder of GCAP; Mike Benner, current Executive Director of GCAP; and Julie Pryde, Public Health Administrator, Champaign-Urbana Public Health District.
This event is co-sponsored by the Greater Community AIDS Project of East Central Illinois, the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, Uniting Pride of Champaign County, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana Champaign, and the Spurlock Museum of World Cultures. It is held in conjunction with the museum's current exhibit Sewn in Memory: AIDS Quilt Panels from Central Illinois.
The UP Center will livestream this event to the UP Center Facebook page (external link) and UP Center Youtube channel (external link).
