The “A Legacy of Lives Loss” art installation will be open to the public on Wednesday, December 1 from 10:00am – 7:00pm, at HOPE Health and Wellness Center, 1619 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Dallas, TX 75215. The event is to commemorate the more than 36 million individuals who have died from AIDS related complications globally, since the beginning of the pandemic 40 years ago.
This year’s World AIDS Day, annually celebrated on December 1, is themed, Ending the HIV Epidemic: Equitable Access, Everyone’s Voice to bring awareness to the health inequities that plague Black and Brown communities and ensure the voices of those most affected are central to the work to end all epidemics.
Visitors are encouraged to interact with the exhibit by coming to write a name and kind words to commemorate a friend, a family member or an admired personality who has died from AIDS related complications on one of the 100 life sized human forms.
Or the community can participate by submitting a name in advance, to be included in the unveiling. The evening will conclude with a CommUNITY Memorial Commemoration from 5:00pm – 6:00pm, which will feature a Tribute Video and a brief presentation. The temporary art installation will be up through December 3rd.
“Forty years later, we are seeing some of the same stigma and significant disparity within Black and Brown communities, under the guise of COVID-19 but still amidst the HIV pandemic” said CEO Kirk Myers-Hill. “The South has always been a hotbed of inequity and inequality, so it is up to us in the South to lead the charge necessary to improve the quality of lives of our communities.”
The CommUNITY Family Reunion will take place in conjunction with “A Legacy of Lives Lost,” from 2:00pm – 4:45pm at APInc’s Community Center, located at 1705 Martin Luther King Junior Boulevard. The Family Reunion will feature a Wellness Fair in partnership with H.O.P.E. Health and Wellness Center, Barbara Jordan Leadership Institute and Dallas County Health and Human Services.
Free food, entertainment and free hygiene and COVID-19 Wellness Kits will be distributed. Additionally, free wellness screenings will be offered throughout the duration of the event including HIV/STIscreenings and COVID-19 vaccinations.
To submit information for “A Legacy of Lives Lost” art installation, please send an email to dwelters@aboundingprosperity.org with Legacy Art in the subject line.
Abounding Prosperity, Inc. was founded in November 2005 to provide services that address health, social, and economic disparities among Black Americans, with a particular emphasis on gay and bisexual men, cisgender women, transgender women, and their families. As one of the only indigenous Black community based non-profit organizations in Texas, we provide services that address health, social, and economic disparities among our priority populations. Our services empower clients to achieve self-sufficiency through skills development, increased knowledge and access to community resources.
