"At the height of the AIDS epidemic, in the summer of 1985, 4,500 people gathered at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles for the inaugural AIDS Walk. They were rallying in the face of prejudice and misinformation, raising funds for loved ones, and showing up in public to help destigmatize the disease that the White House had laughed off. AIDS Project Los Angeles organized the event hoping to raise $100,000 for its programs and wound up besting its goal more than six times over,"
"In Portland, Cascade AIDS Project held its first annual AIDS Walk Northwest (formerly "From All Walks of Life") later that summer. On September 13, the local event celebrates its 40th annual pledge walk, which brings people together not only to fundraise for the nonprofit but to celebrate and remember the lives of loved ones lost to AIDS, raise awareness, and continue to erode HIV stigma."
"It's about "being out in the streets, showing up with as many people as possible to make noise," says Adie B. Steckel, CAP's manager of grants and public affairs. Drag icon Poison Waters, a staple of the walk, returns as emcee this year, leading the crowds down Portland's streets and across its bridges in a vibrant display of solidarity and resistance."
In the summer of 1985, thousands gathered for the inaugural AIDS Walk in Los Angeles, raising far more than its $100,000 goal and confronting prejudice and misinformation. Cascade AIDS Project launched its first AIDS Walk Northwest that same summer in Portland. The September 13 event marks the 40th annual pledge walk to fundraise, remember lives lost to AIDS, raise awareness, and combat HIV stigma. The walk features community tents, an LGBTQ+ public health fair with free rapid HIV testing, and emceeing by drag icon Poison Waters. Last year drew 2,000 participants and $218,000; this year’s goal is $300,000 to support testing, linkage to care, and housing assistance amid federal funding threats.
Read at Portland Monthly
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