Joe Biden Displays AIDS Memorial Quilt at White House

On World AIDS Day, Joe Biden became the first president in history to display the AIDS Memorial Quilt on the White House Lawn in the 43 years since the first reported cases of HIV/AIDS in the U.S. 124 sections of the quilt were laid out on the South Lawn to commemorate and honor those who lost their lives to AIDS-related illnesses.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt is considered the largest community arts project in history, with roughly 50,000 panels dedicated to over 100,000 individuals. The idea for the AIDS Memorial Quilt was conceived in 1985 by human rights activist, author, and lecturer Cleve Jones to document the lives of people that history might forget.

Each panel is three feet by six feet, the approximate size of a grave, Jones says in an interview with Fresh Air. “The last display of the entire quilt was in 1996 when we covered the National Mall from the steps of the Capitol building all the way to the Washington Monument,” he adds.

The AIDS Memorial quilt remains under the permanent care of the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park, in a 10-acre place of remembrance. Biden honored the unique history of the quilt at the gathering on Sunday, December 1.

“It started with one name on one panel nearly four decades ago,” Biden says during his speech. “This quilt weighs 54 tons and tells the tragic stories of brothers who died too soon; moms who contracted AIDS at childbirth—her daughter’s life stolen, eventually her own as well; friends and partners who lost loved ones of their lives; and so many more stories of precious lives cut too short.”

The Biden administration worked to stop the AIDS epidemic over the last four years by expanding access to PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), which can help prevent HIV infections.

The AIDS Memorial Quilt was created in 1985 to honor the memory of those we’ve lost to HIV/AIDS.

It started with one name on one panel – four decades later, the quilt holds 110,000 names.

Yesterday, for the first time, the Quilt was on display on the White House’s South Lawn. pic.twitter.com/dU8ukShh0d

— President Biden (@POTUS) December 2, 2024

The next day, The Library of Congress released over 125,000 items documenting the lives of the people represented in the AIDS Memorial quilt. The files include photographs, portraits, letters, and diary entries of those who lost their lives. Each record includes a letter written by the panel maker that details memories and heartfelt descriptions of the person they lost to AIDS.

This groundbreaking digital collection ensures that the stories, lives, and faces of those lost to AIDS will be never be forgotten. The documents will complement the library’s digitized version of the quilt online, providing global access to the historical records and stories behind the massive art project.

Photo courtesy of social media