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WINDY CITY TIMES
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AIDS: Red ribbon symbolizes AIDS fight
by Krysten Thomas 2011-05-04
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This article shared 3678 times since Wed May 4, 2011
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There were an estimated 33.3 million adults living with AIDS by the end of 2009, according to Avert, an international HIV and AIDS charity. Despite some progress on treatment, there is still no cure, and AIDS is only increasing in impact. But where has the symbolic red ribbon, once so common throughout the 1990s, gone?
The red ribbon's connection to the AIDS/HIV epidemic is largely attributed to the working of the Visual AIDS Artists Caucus, a New York City-based group that was the artists' arm of ACT UP, and caucus member, Frank Moore, according to The New York Times. Moore, an HIV-positive surrealist painter who died in 2002, approached Visual AIDS with the idea in 1990 after noticing the prevalence of yellow ribbons being worn in commemoration of the soldiers fighting in the Gulf War. The creation of this new symbol was not without controversy. Paul Jabara, an HIV-positive, Academy Award-winning songwriter and actor, is also sometimes credited with the initial idea of the red ribbon. Jabara, who died in 1992, co-founded the Red Ribbon Foundation in 1991.
Soon after its development, the ribbon became synonymous with solidarity with those inflicted with the disease and love. Its red color also came to serve as a warning to others, and campaigns still exist in 2011 using the red theme to raise AIDS awareness (and funds).
The red ribbon's popularity peaked during the 1990s. At a press conference, basketball star Magic Johnson confirmed that he was HIV positive and announced his retirement, stating, "I think sometimes we think, well, only gay people can get itit is not going to happen to me. And here I am saying that it happen to anyone." Queen's lead singer, Freddie Mercury, died one day after he confirmed that he, too, had tested positive for HIV. More than 100,000 red ribbons were passed out to the audience of London's 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. The appearance of English actor Jeremy Irons, at the 1991 Tony Awards, wearing a red ribbon further prompted support for the HIV/AIDS cause. Other celebrities picked up the red ribbon cause at awards shows, including the Academy Awards.
Even though the red ribbon remains the international emblem for AIDS awareness, its once popular presence has dwindled significantly from the public eye.
See www.avert.org, www.redribbon.com . Also see HIV/AIDS, by Kathy S. Stolley and John E. Glass (Greenwood, 2009). |
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This article shared 3678 times since Wed May 4, 2011
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