AIDS Quilt visits the Triangle

Quilts often bring to mind images of gray-haired Southern women sitting in a circle talking about their lives, sipping sweet tea and sewing.

But this quilt conjures far different impressions: of men, women and children losing their lives, wasting away from a disease for which there is as yet no cure.

The quilt -- the AIDS Memorial Quilt -- was made by friends, lovers, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, aunts, uncles and grandchildren of people with AIDS from all over the world. It was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 and has been called "the largest community art project in the world."

This week, pieces of it are hanging in various buildings at UNC-Chapel Hill and at the Family Life Center of First Baptist Church in downtown Raleigh. The blocks, or sections, of the quilt were brought to the Triangle to commemorate World AIDS Day on Saturday.

In Raleigh, the First Baptist Church, 109 S. Wilmington St., will have an opening ceremony at noon Friday, and will hold a World AIDS Day interfaith worship service at 7 p.m. Saturday. The 20 quilt panels on display can be viewed from noon to 8 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, and 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday. Someone will read names from the quilt aloud during the times it is available for viewing.

At UNC-CH, more than 15 student organizations joined the N.C. Hillel Foundation for Jewish Campus Life in scheduling a weeklong series of events to raise awareness of HIV (the human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome), which HIV causes.

Except for the student volunteers who were handing out pamphlets about AIDS, HIV and the quilt, many of the students at the Student Union and the Global Education Center paid little notice to the displays Monday.

Most glanced up once and kept walking. Some were making a beeline for comfortable couches for studying or working on their laptops.

But Rachel Harper, a member of N.C. Hillel's student life board who spearheaded the events, remains optimistic.

"On UNC's campus -- because it's a college -- sometimes, when you talk about issues like this, it's almost like preaching to the choir," she admits. But that's exactly why she wants to raise more awareness about the disease and virus. It's still a crisis, she said, but people aren't treating it like a crisis anymore.

"Lately, I haven't seen coverage [of HIV/AIDS] in the media, unless it has to do with pharmaceutical companies," said Harper, a junior majoring in biology. "I can't help but think what the world is losing when more than 2 million people [in the world] die from this each year."

To Will Martin, a senior majoring in anthropology, sitting at a table under a block of the quilt in the Global Education Center is one of his contributions to increasing awareness.

"It's something I can do here to help out," he said, poised to educate the next passer-by about the disease that is the quilt's namesake. "It's something tangible I can do. The AIDS Quilt is a very tangible way of visualizing the painful AIDS epidemic."

Hanging above him was a block made in part by Benjamin and Anthony Hernandez and "Mom," who scribbled "Daddy we miss you" on a pink piece of cloth about the size of a 3-by-5 note card.

Another section was made by "Rosemary" in memory of Dan Sileo: "I knew you for a short time, but it was full of joy, laughs, and your great baking," was written in black marker and signed "Love, Rosemary."

Though Martin wants to tell students about the people who are infected and affected by AIDS and HIV, he also wants to portray "a sense of hope, and a value in the past so we can make changes in the future."

"A lot of people say AIDS is one of the biggest moral problems of our generation," he said. "So what are we going to do about it?"

Alex Michael, a junior majoring in communications, was shocked that UNC-CH was able to get pieces of the AIDS Quilt.

"It's one of the biggest art projects in the world. Having that kind of collaboration for one topic is awe-inspiring," she said as she volunteered to educate passers-by Monday. "[HIV/AIDS] doesn't just affect a certain demographic. It affects anyone and everyone."