JUST SAYIN’-For many years now, we have been overwhelmed by one catastrophe (natural and otherwise) after another—hurricanes and snow storms, global warming, the pursuit of energy-efficiency, police brutality, international terrorist threats, the immigration crisis, concerns over affordable healthcare.
The list goes on, but one that has seemingly been pushed to the back burner is the ongoing plague of HIV/AIDS—it seems to have missed our long catalogue of concerns. Perhaps because there has been such progress with prevention and viable medications for those who have contracted the disease that most people don’t worry about the problem anymore and like to pretend that it is a non-issue. Even those who saw Dallas Buyers Club or A Normal Heart often come away with the thought that the tragedies described are all in the past.
The truth is that HIV/AIDS is very much with us, and many have not forgotten and will never forget all those who have been and are and will be affected by this terrible disease! That is why Richard L. Zaldivar (with credits a mile long) established The Wall Las Memorias Project (TWLMP), for which he is now Executive Director. His own struggles with addiction inspired him to create a group that would “address the shame, silence, and denial that lead to the disparities in HIV transmission, homophobia, and social injustice.” (Photo)
How did this organization get its name? It is, of course, the brain-child of its founder. “In 2004, after a years-long battle with opposition, the first publicly funded AIDS monument in the nation was dedicated.” It is located at the Lincoln Park Recreation Center and is embellished by the wonderful, colorful murals by local artists. On its surface are the names of more than 360 local people (eventually 8000 names) who have succumbed to the disease. The monument (which appears as the serpent, Quetzalcoatl) is designed to represent rebirth—renewal, starting again, moving forward. The monument is emotional to view and is meant to take your breath away, and it does.
TWLMP is composed of a broad coalition of organizations, including mental health, substance abuse, and LGBTQ health servicing agencies. Its purpose is to reach out (in the main) to LGBTQ (Q people are unsure of their sexual identity) and addicted Latinos in the Los Angeles community. Its goal is to promote wellness, prevent illness, and to commit to advancing social justice. TWLMP has additional goals to increase services to the underserved among us, including reducing the disparities in attitude, education, and other opportunities between the LGBTQ and straight communities.
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The TWLMP offers a number of programs:
- The Latino Men’s Action Network: Teaching (among other concepts)
--leadership skills and advocacy
--community engagement, outreach
--peer counselling for at-risk men
--HIV/AIDS workshops
- A program to reduce drinking and violence at Dodger Stadium baseball games
- LGBT Catholic Action Now: identifying and empowering LGBT Latino Catholics
- Project Faith and the Annual Conference on Latinos, Faith, Culture, HIV, and Mental Health:
The faith program has already expanded to more than 680 churches in the area. The pulpit, after all, is a powerful place to guide thought and actions. It is interesting that there is a common thread for faith and healing both inside the community and inside the prison system. Such assistance and rehabilitation programs seem to be able to create an easier path to reach those who can benefit from their teachings.
- Annual Fundraisers to sustain this valuable program.
Los Angeles and particularly the Latino community within our City are truly fortunate to have such an organization working for the common good. It is a role model for other groups here and across the country. Its professed goals are being realized, even if the wheels move forward slowly. We must not forget our LGBTQ brothers and sisters and the obstacles they must learn how to overcome--from birth til death. Hopefully, groups like TWLMP can make each path smoother, less painful, and full of promise.
I can’t state it better than Oscar-winning writer Graham Moore did earlier this week at the Academy Awards. He won for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Imitation Game. Yes, it is a story about breaking the German Enigma Code, an act which saved millions during World War II and brought the war to a speedier conclusion than would otherwise have happened. But the film is about much more than that life-saving discovery. Because the very man who was largely responsible for breaking the code was gay, he received abominable treatment from the very country he had saved and wound up dying an ignominious death. His name should be on the lips of every student of modern history (especially because he created the first computer), but few know it—at least until now.
Let me share with you Moore’s words from Oscar night:
Alan Turing never got to stand on a stage like this and look out at all of these disconcertingly attractive faces, and I do—and that’s the most unfair thing I think I’ve heard. When I was 16 years old, I tried to kill myself because I felt weird and I felt different and I felt like I did not belong—and now I’m standing here. So I would like for this moment to be for that kid out there who feels like she’s weird or she’s different or she doesn’t fit in anywhere. Yes, you do. I promise you do. Stay weird, stay different, and then when it’s your turn and you are standing on this stage, please pass the same message to the next person who comes along!
Wow! Are there tears yet?!
I hope you have been as touched by his words as I have been--and also moved by the message in this column.
One way to get to know more about the Wall organization is to visit its Open House (details below).
Get involved. Evolve. Help make the world a better place in which all of us can live in peace and harmony.
Just sayin’.
● The Wall Las Memorias Project
Open House: March 5, 2015; 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
5619 Monte Vista Street
Los Angeles, California 90042
323-257-1056
● Lincoln Park Recreation Center
(location of the monument)
3501 Valley Boulevard
Los Angeles
213-847-1726
(Rosemary Jenkins is a Democratic activist and chair of the Northeast Valley Green Alliance. Jenkins has written A Quick-and-Easy Reference to Correct Grammar and Composition, Leticia in Her Wedding Dress and Other Poems, and Vignettes for Understanding Literary and Related Concepts. She also writes for CityWatch. Views expressed in this column are not necessarily those of CityWatch.)
-cw
CityWatch
Vol 13 Issue 17
Pub: Feb 27, 2015
