Pierce County AIDS Foundation and Tacoma Art Museum invite community members to World AIDS Day

World AIDS Day Observance and Program, Tuesday December 1

Tacoma, Washington—The 27th Annual World AIDS Day will be commemorated with evening programs sponsored by PCAF and TAM.

The Pierce County AIDS Foundation (PCAF) and Tacoma Art Museum are partnering to host a World AIDS Day observance and program on December 1 at 6 pm at Tacoma Art Museum.  

World AIDS Day is an international day of remembrance that was established in 1988 by UNAIDS to increase awareness, fight prejudice, and improve education about HIV/AIDS. It has been observed annually since.

“Remember. Hope. Act.” is the theme for the event. Guests will have the opportunity remember those who have died of AIDS, to support people currently living with HIV, to unite against stigma and discrimination, and to join together in the eradication of the disease once and for all.

The event is free and open to the public. The program includes interactive art installations, opportunities for reflection & sharing, featured speaker John Wiesman, State Secretary of Health, and recitation of original works of poetry and prose by local writers addressing themes of love, loss, and HIV/AIDS.

In Washington, it is estimated that 12,691 people are living with HIV, including 447 people who contracted HIV in 2014. In the counties PCAF Serves (Pierce, Thurston, and Lewis), 1,725 people are known to be living with HIV including 53 people who were diagnosed in 2014. The CDC estimates that 1 in 8 of those living with HIV do not know they are HIV positive.

HIV and AIDS have not gone away, although the awareness and urgency of the epidemic has waned in recent years. “Now is not the time to be complacent, to be fatigued, or to lose hope. In the 35th year of the HIV epidemic, there is real hope that we can end AIDS in Washington State.  Now, more than ever before, we know what needs to be done to end AIDS, and we have the tools and knowledge to obtain the goal,” stated Duane Wilkerson, Executive Director of PCAF.

Featured speaker Secretary Wiesman will share information about the current state of HIV and AIDS in Washington and the statewide collaborative effort to end AIDS in Washington State by 2020.  “We are honored to have Secretary Wiesman joining us to share the exciting news about the statewide movement to end AIDS and open the conversation of how each of us can play a role in ending AIDS once and for all,” said Wilkerson.

All those who have been affected by HIV/AIDS or who care about the impact of HIV and AIDS in our community are invited to participate. Prior to the evening program, all are encouraged to visit the Arts AIDS America exhibition at TAM, which is free with suggested donation on December 1 in observance of World AIDS Day.

The event is sponsored by WIRB, MetMeds, and Pride Foundation and offered in partnership with Tacoma Art Museum and Arts AIDS America, which is sponsored by the MultiCare Community Partnership Fund.

27th Annual World AIDS Day Observance and Program

Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 6 pm

Tacoma Art Museum, 1701 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma, WA 98402

For questions about the event, contact Jill Rose at 253-722-0709.