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One of the major events of San Francisco’s Pride Month is the remembrance of all those loved ones lost to the AIDS epidemic with the unveiling of the AIDS Memorial Quilt at San Francisco's National AIDS Memorial Grove.
First conceived in 1985 by powerful gay rights activist and San Francisco local Cleve Jones, he sought to honor not only the 1978 assassination of Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone, but also the 1,000 San Franciscans he learned passed away from AIDS. After taping up their names on placards onto the San Francisco Federal Building, he realized the cards resembled a quilt, and in June of 1987, Cleve developed the first panel of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, along with establishing the NAMES Project Foundation.
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The Circle of Friends, located between the Woodland Path and Dogwood Crescent, is engraved with with the names of over 1,500 people and is inscribed with “Circle of Friends: Lives Touched By AIDS…Donors to the Grove…Those Who Have Died…Those Who Loved Them.”
Many of the cities most impacted by AIDS participated in sending patches over to San Francisco, and by October of 1987, the Quilt was established, displayed on Washington D.C.’s National Mall. Spanning ground larger than a football field, the brilliant artwork held 1,920 panels, each one honored with the names of those passed.
The quilt has then gone on to touring nationwide, raising large amounts of funds for AIDS services and increasing the number of not only volunteers each year, but of awareness in education, and in the addition of new panels.
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In 1989, Cleve Jones, colleague Mike Smith, and the NAMES Project Foundation were all nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize from their tremendous efforts, also sparking documentaries, films, and modern interactive exhibits for richer access to preserved stories.
Such virtual exhibits include the newest Black Lives Lost to AIDS and Native Lives Lost to AIDS in 2021, all including touching personal narratives, archived letters, and historic photographs.
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The Quilt recently arrived at San Francisco’s National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park, inviting everyone to view the stories of the patterns and reflect in reverence while walking around the immense pieces.
This memorial grove is 10 acres and was first initiated in 1988 by locals who desired to express their grief over lost loved ones in a serene and beautiful garden. Renovation in the park began in 1991 and by 1996 President Bill Clinton officially proclaimed it as the national memorial with the “AIDS Memorial Grove Act of 1996.”
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Today the grove continues to be a popular, can’t-miss sanctuary for peaceful inspiration, respect, and tribute, acknowledging not only healing for the past, but hope for the future as we continue to battle the epidemic with science, knowledge, love, and compassion.
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The National AIDS Memorial Grove can be best acceesed on 856 Stanyan Street into Golden Gate Park and is open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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Photography by: Anna Shvets/Pexels
