Lessons realized many years in the past from the activism spawned by way of the anemic govt reaction to the AIDS pandemic helped sharpen the state and native reaction to the coronavirus, Mayor Lori Lightfoot mentioned Tuesday.
Lightfoot drew what she known as a “straight line” between the 2 pandemics throughout a “virtual conversation” with different mayors to commemorate World AIDS Day 2020.
The discussion board was once subsidized by way of the National AIDS Memorial and integrated New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Robert Garcia, their counterpart in Long Beach, Ca.
Chicago’s first openly-gay mayor recalled having traveled to New York City for a Pride Parade in a while after popping out to her oldsters. She mentioned a “huge swell” of parade individuals, some from the AIDS activist workforce, ACT UP, had been chanting, “How many more have to die?”
“Just retelling the story now gives me chills. … Too many government actors were ignoring this horrible pandemic that was sweeping through — not just gay and lesbian communities across the country and across the world. It was affecting lots of other folks,” Lightfoot mentioned.
“Then, come to this moment where we’re facing another pandemic of global proportions. Put aside the federal government. But at least at the state and local level, where we have been all in on the front lines — the difference is profound. The difference really is because of those early AIDS activists who were out in the streets.”
Lightfoot famous that New York City was once “Ground Zero” for the AIDS epidemic and AIDS activism that modified the whole lot.
“A lot of the things that we have done in our public health response is … attributable to the focus and the dedication of those early pioneers who were demanding that the scourge that was robbing people of their lives at such a young age had to be acknowledged. That there had to be a fulsome government response,” she mentioned.
De Blasio famous that ACT UP activists had been “shunned, denied and belittled,” even inside of portions of the homosexual neighborhood. To some degree, the “voices of people of color” and girls had been “often not heard enough,” de Blasio mentioned.
“Even within the struggle, there was a fight for fairness and equality. But what we can say is that struggle changed everything. And what it led to is government finally owning the situation and doing the things we have to do to invest in reaching people,” de Blasio mentioned.
“Well, finally it started to happen with HIV and AIDS and it’s made a profound difference. … We can say the words, ‘End the epidemic’ and mean it. We can actually work towards the day when HIV and AIDS doesn’t afflict anyone. That’s a believable concept now, which would not have been at the time Mayor Lightfoot was describing.”
Garcia’s participation was once in particular poignant. Earlier this yr, Garcia’s mom and step-father died from COVID-19 inside of a two-week duration. Yet, he one way or the other controlled to bear the ones non-public tragedies and proceed to guide his town throughout the pandemic.
“Even though sometimes it is hard and painful, I try to use that experience when I am talking to our community about how serious it is. Even a health care worker like my mom, who wore PPE and took care of herself and has been in the medical profession for 25 years. If it can happen to her, it can happen to anyone,” Garcia mentioned.