SAN JUAN — Black and white photographs were placed facing the nave at the Basilica Of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle.
The photographs were of men, women, children and the elderly. A diverse group, to be sure, but the one thing they all had in common was that they had died of AIDS.
The remembrance of these individuals was part of a larger commemoration of World AIDS Day, an international day that falls on Dec. 1 dedicated to bringing awareness to the AIDS pandemic which is caused by HIV.
Local community members organized the commemoration at the basilica with the emphasis on ending the stigma behind HIV and AIDS.
Frank Mendez, one of the organizers of the event, said the theme this year was “Putting Ourselves to the Test.”
“Putting ourselves to the test means that we’ve got work to do and that work consists of trying to end stigma and discrimination regarding HIV/AIDS,” Mendez said. “The only way to end stigma is if we give a voice to the issue and not a voice to the judgment.”
Steve Cano, one of the volunteers who walked into the basilica with a photograph of one of those lost to AIDS, said having the event at an iconic Catholic institution was really significant for their cause.
“Back at the height of the AIDS epidemic, from history and things that we’ve learned, the people of faith really turned a blind eye, they turned their back on individuals who were of faith and acquired HIV, acquired AIDS,” Cano said.
“Now we’re moving forward and we know that stigma is something that contributed to what happened 30, 40 years ago,” Cano added. “There’s still stigma today but having an event here helps break that stigma.”
An event like this can bring awareness to the fact that AIDS is an enduring problem, according to Dr. Ivan Melendez, the Hidalgo County health authority.
“When I was a young doctor, I was in the middle of the AIDS epidemic, when no one knew anything,” Melendez said.
“This pandemic, we’ve had 40 million people die, 85 million people who have gotten it, 1.1 million kids who have suffered from it,” Melendez said. “Where 13,000 people die every single year in the United States, where one out of six people who have AIDS doesn’t even know they have it — it’s still a problem.”
Melendez added that AIDS was the leading cause of death among women 18 to 40 years old and was the leading cause of death among young men in the 1990s.
“So it’s a huge problem and of course, with it, all the social context,” Melendez said. “AIDS continues to be a major, major healthcare problem.”
Before the official commemoration began, Rev. Jorge A. Gómez held Mass, conveying a message of love and acceptance for those with HIV or AIDS.
“We’re here to welcome them, not to reject them, Enough is enough,” Rev. Jorge said during the bilingual mass.
“It’s time to open our hearts with compassion, not just tolerance,” he said. “We need to build channels to communicate with them; to let them know that they are loved in their condition, that in that suffering — illness, that condition they are in — they are loved by God.”
He led the congregation in prayer for those who were sick and for healthcare providers who care for them.
“It’s time for us to wake up and to get rid of all those fears and prejudices,” he said. “We are brothers and sisters; we are children of the same God.”
To see more, view Monitor photojournalist Joel Martinez’s full photo gallery here:
Photo Gallery: World AIDS Day remembers those lost at the Basilica Of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle
