White House commemorates World AIDS Day
President Joe Biden thanked a crowd of HIV/AIDS treatment advocates and community members on the South Lawn of the White House on Sunday for “the honor of our lives to serve in the White House, the people’s house, your house.” “We felt a special obligation to use this sacred place to ensure everyone is seen and the story of America is heard,” the president continued. “That’s why we’re all together here at this World AIDS Day.” The president and first lady gave their remarks at a White House commemoration of World AIDS Day.
They were joined by activist Jeanne White-Ginder. Panels of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt were on display on the lawn behind them as they spoke to guests.
A team of volunteers worked in the morning to assemble the panels in preparation for public viewing. One of the volunteers, Jerry Suarez, told the Blade that he had lost both his brother and father to the epidemic. “I came here to bring my dad and brother here,” Suarez told the Blade as he motioned toward the panels on the quilt. “I couldn’t be prouder of the work the NAMES Project has done in taking care of my father and taking care of my brother,”continued Suarez. “I feel like this is the moment we’ve always wanted — we wanted for the longest time to have a sitting president to actually even notice us, and in ’96 when the Clintons came to the display, that was the first time . . .
but we never could quite get in the door on the other side of the fence.” The AIDS Memorial Quilt is overseen by the National AIDS Memorial.
