Candlelight vigil marks 20th anniversary
of battle against AIDS

A World AIDS Day candlelight vigil was held at Memorial Hall on the evening of Dec. 1 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the international battle against AIDS, with readings and poems in remembrance of those who have died with HIV/AIDS.

Laura Lee Wilson, campus ministries, was the main speaker, reminding students, faculty and staff members at the vigil that AIDS has claimed the lives of approximately 22 million people and that although there is a decline in number of deaths in developed countries, “there is still need for continued vigilance, education and resources to overcome the fear, denial and stigma associated with HIV/AIDS.” She ended her talk with reading “View from the Quilt” by Jeanette Willis Fagerberg, which in part read, “Ordinary people, Extraordinary circumstances, Called to experience uncommon loss….”

Later that evening, an AIDS Awareness dance party, sponsored by the Delaware African Students Association, was held in the Multipurpose Room of the Trabant University Center.

---