He’s worked to create an amazing public monument in honor of those we have lost to AIDS. Now, Richard discusses Noches de la Memorias in honor of World AIDS Day.
RICHARD
This World AIDS Day is not just any World AIDS Day for our organization.
KARL
Welcome to plus talk on plus life where we’re all about turning positive into a plus. World AIDS Day is almost upon us. And joining me today is Richard Zaldivar from the Wall Las Memorias here in Los Angeles. They do something special every year, and plus life has been a part of it. Good to see you there, Richard.
RICHARD
So nice to see you, my friend.
KARL
So it’s back, it’s the annual Noches De Las Memorias Friday World AIDS Day. Tell us about the event and why it’s so important.
RICHARD
Well, this World AIDS Day is not just any World AIDS Day for our organization. Actually, the Wall las Memorias was founded on December the first, 1993. So this event, which is a free public event and it’s open to anyone in the community, is really our, our birthday. When we first started, we, we met at Lincoln Park in Northeast Los Angeles to figure out where we were gonna build an AIDS monument. 30 years later, we have an incredible AIDS monument, the only publicly funded monument in the country where the community comes together and with music and poetry and conversation. We unveil the names of people who died of aids, and we remember them in our memories publicly.
KARL
It is a great event. What special things have you got planned for the birthday celebration?
RICHARD
What’s gonna be very different this year? And that is the first part of the program. We’re gonna have a live conversation with about six people who will talk about the challenges and the highlights of the past 30 years. And this’ll be an open conversation on stage. There’ll be an opportunity for a q and a from the audience, and then we’ll get into the unveiling of the names of those who passed, and we will go to the audience for public testimony.
KARL
That’s fantastic. You know, we know that HIV infection rates continue to climb in black and brown communities. Aside from a stigma and a cure, what do you see in here from local Latinos there in the community that, you know, hasn’t really changed? We’re not moving the needle on and what we need to do more with?
RICHARD
You know, that’s, I appreciate that question. Actually, yesterday we had an a, a Latino Men Summit with over 85 men who attended an afternoon of lunch comedy, but a serious conversation about around social determinants of, of health. And we, we had, we had a conversation about isolation and loneliness and mental health and drug use. And it was so inspiring to see so many people, both young and older, to talk about basically the same issues. How do I handle life when I feel so lonely? I could be in a room full of people, but I’m still lonely. And so these are the issues that really contribute to HIV and other health issues. And so we need to change the conversation around HIV prevention and testing and a, and actually HIV care because in the last few years we have learned from COVID-19 that it’s not healthy to live alone and isolated in your apartment or your home without human contact with others. It has played a devastating effect on our lives. And so we need to end HIV once and for all, but we also have to end the issue of discrimination bigotry that we’re seeing popping up throughout the country that has an effect on increasing rates of HIV. And so, it was a great day yesterday
KARL
When people come and visit the memorial there in the park. And it is a beautiful space. How can, how can visiting a memorial like the Wall West memorials help combat the stigma that still exists around HIV? Do you think
RICHARD
It was about five weeks ago? Periodically, the staff gives tours to different groups throughout Los Angeles. They come and visit the AIDS monument. And I happened to be on one of these tours, and I came across this, this young gal, a trans member, and I, I asked her, so what do you think of the monument? And she goes, you know, I don’t know of anybody who died of aids. And then she started to cry and she says, this, this place speaks to my soul. I am Chilean and I’m a trans member, and my parents don’t accept me and they don’t understand me, but this space makes me feel like I’m at home. And I, it is beautiful ’cause so many people feel harmed by society and culture and whatever space that makes a person feel wholesome, we need to support that. The Wall RIAs talks not only about people who passed away from aids, but it’s something concrete, something that’s standing in the community, you know, that speaks to our L-G-B-T-Q community and the struggles that we went through. I’ll never forget that. And again, emotional every time I think about that, because no person should live in this world feeling harmed by other people and by society.
KARL
Yeah. And especially, no one should feel less than because of an HIV diagnosis. That’s right. As you mentioned, it’s it, it’s entirely publicly funded. If people wanna support the Wal less memorials to make sure that this wonderful monument is there today to tomorrow and for decades and centuries to come, how can they, how can they get involved? Richard,
RICHARD
I’ll ask people, if you’re in Los Angeles, come on December the first, the event starts at 6 45 at the Wallace MIUs AIDS Monument, Lincoln Park in northeast Los Angeles. If you’re not, you can watch the event streaming live on Facebook, and you could also be a donor. You can go online and make a donation connect with us this coming year. We’re going to upload a virtual walkthrough of the monument on our website. So if you have a name of someone who passed away that’s on the monument and you live in Philadelphia or Kansas, you’ll be able to see their name on the monument. So it’s kind, it’s gonna be an exciting year, our 30th anniversary year, but we wanna make sure that the monument is shared by everyone and anyone in this country and throughout the world.
KARL
Well, Richard, having attended Noches de Las Memorias last year, and, and, and plus life has been an active participant over the years with you guys, it’s a, it’s a wonderful night and I echo your words for people to go and check it out. If you’re in the Los Angeles area, world AIDS Day, Friday, December 1st, that’s tomorrow as a matter of fact. There you go. Richard, thank you for your time and, and all the great work you do there.
RICHARD
Thank you. And thank you for all the work that you do and all the folks to make our, our world a better place in which to live.
RICHARD
Well that’s very sweet. Thank you. That is gonna do it for this episode of Plus Talk. Now if you want more information about plus life, plus Talk the Wall las memorias, anything else that we do, you can find it all on our website. And that website is plus life media.com and you can also follow us across social media platforms. We are at Plus life on all socials. We keep it easier. We’ll put all that our information as well as the Wal Less Memorial’s information up on the website and the social posts as well. Until next time, have a great World AIDS day. Thanks for watching. We’ll see you soon. Bye-Bye.