the
NAMES Project Orange County
During the devastating HIV/AIDS, the metrics on death skyrocketed and left many with friends or family. The sheer magnitude was staggering and the victims of the disease were left to be tiny numbers in the statistics. The NAMES Project sought to bring awareness while also putting names on the many victims that passed due to the disease. Hosting quilt making workshops in local areas across the United States, including Orange County, the organization gave the friends and families of victims that chance to share the name of the ones they have lost and creatively express their grief.
Two panels on the AIDS Memorial Quilt from Orange County dated in the mid 1990s
The mission of naming the thousands of victims that lost their lives to the AIDS epidemic greatly resonated with the people and the quilt became a significant symbol in the community and in America. The panels proved to be a great way to garner awareness and rally the people to events. In Orange County, the annual AIDS Walk in 1988 and 1989 highlighted the panels made in OC to join the national quilt as key exhibits for the event. Past the more local events, the quilt also appeared in a national setting. On October 11, 1987, the national NAMES Project quilt was revealed to the Capitol Mall during the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Among many demands, the march, through its presentation of the quilt, sought further assistance from the government with the HIV/AIDS crisis.
the Impact of a 54 -Ton Quilt
The mission of naming the thousands of victims that lost their lives to the AIDS epidemic greatly resonated with the people and the quilt became a significant symbol in the community and in America. The panels proved to be a great way to garner awareness and rally the people to events. In Orange County, the annual AIDS Walk in 1988 and 1989 highlighted the panels made in OC to join the national quilt as key exhibits for the event. Past the more local events, the quilt also appeared in a national setting. On October 11, 1987, the national NAMES Project quilt was revealed to the Capitol Mall during the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. Among many demands, the march, through its presentation of the quilt, sought further assistance from the government with the HIV/AIDS crisis.
A panel from the AIDS Memorial Quilt.
where is it now?
The NAMES Project is still running and you can see the entire quilt on their website here.