EVERETT — Participants walked, holding red candles, from the Snohomish County Health Department to the newly constructed AIDS memorial on Monday in recognition of World AIDS Day.
On the wall inside the health department building hung a sign displaying an empty red ribbon and the question, “Who do you walk for?” Eventgoers wrote the names of family members, friends and loved ones on red stickers that slowly filled the ribbon.
“We encourage all of you in our community to do and to share these community goals,” Health Department Director Kim VanPelt said before the walk. “Encourage regular HIV testing, promote access to prevention tools such as PrEP, support local HIV service organizations, advocate for equitable health care and comprehensive sexual health education, and advocate for public health services and spaces.”
Dec. 1 has been recognized as World AIDS Day since 1988.
Forty million people worldwide have died from AIDS-related causes and an estimated 39 million people are living with HIV today, VanPelt said.
This World AIDS Day arrives after a year of reduced federal funding for HIV research. The United Nations reports global funding has dropped 40% in two years. Also, the U.S. government did not mark World AIDS Day for the first time since 1988.
“AIDS is still a real problem and it cannot be ignored,” VanPelt said in an interview next to the Snohomish County AIDS memorial. “We are proud in Snohomish County to recognize this day and to provide the services that are still very necessary.”
The memorial’s initial dedication was in 2005. In 2020, a vandal pushed the memorial over and shattered it. County facilities employees restored the pieces for a second dedication in 2022.
In September, the memorial was vandalized again.
“The artwork was shattered into about 1,000 pieces,” County Executive Dave Somers said during public remarks. “I want to thank our facilities team, in particular Joel Diaz, who went above and beyond to make sure it was restored in time for World Aids Day — just a remarkable job.”
Diaz has been a county facilities maintenance worker for 12 years. With his coworkers’ help, he created a mold from the original’s pieces and made a new memorial from acrylic resin.
Resin is a more durable material, and the art is now mounted to plywood, so it has less give, he said.
“The original had space behind it, so it just went over,” Diaz said in an interview. “This one, they’re going to have to work at it.”
He painted the clear resin to match pictures of the original artwork.
During the event, attendee Ian Meyer saw the memorial for the first time. He was diagnosed with HIV in 1998, and his husband died about a year ago from an AIDS-related cause, he said.
“It’s really resonating quite a lot, especially with the holidays coming up,” he said.
Meyer said he sees the memorial’s vandalism and repair as a symbol.
“Its nature of always coming back, you know? Always rebuilding,” he said. “We need to get it out there that, yes, we are still around.”
This year’s event was co-sponsored by Everett Pride, LifeLong and AIDS Project Snohomish County. The theme was “Rethink, Rebuild, Rise.”
Taylor Scott Richmond: 425-339-3046; taylor.richmond@heraldnet.com; X: @BTayOkay
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