San Francisco community comes together on eve of World Aids Day
In honor of World Aids Day, San Franciscans came together at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco on Saturday night.
"People still care, and they want to honor the people that have been lost and cherish the people that are still here," Troy Brunet, a volunteer with National AIDS Memorial Grove, told CBS News Bay Area.
Brunet has been HIV-positive since 1994.
"I was able to adapt to a different medication and have been undetectable now for 24 years," Brunet said.
He added he is grateful for a chance to live life, especially after having undergone 18 surgeries over the last 24 years.
"In 2000, I didn't think I would be here. I was in a coma for two months and they didn't think I was going to come out of it, what I was told by my family and friends. And I'm still here pushing through, so very grateful. And if I can, I'm going to do everything I can to help somebody else to get through their situation," Brunet said.
Attendees of the event said that since it began, the "Light in the Grove" event has provided them with a sense of comfort and belonging after years of feeling overlooked and ignored.
"This space means so much to our community. You know at a time when we were fighting for our lives, because nobody really cared about the fact that HIV AIDs was killing our community. So, we had to wrap each other in our arms and protect each other and face it head on," Sister Roma of San Francisco Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence told CBS News Bay Area.
National AIDS Memorial Grove CEO John Cunningham said that more than 40 years ago, there was a time when more than 50% of San Franciscans were diagnosed with HIV.
"They were passing at a time when they didn't necessarily need to. We had a government that chose not to respond, the stigma around this disease was profound and it took lives," Cunningham said.
And last year, Cunningham said that number is down to just over 200 infections, getting closer to their goal of zero infections.
"Where we're looking at now is really, how do you reach those hard-to-reach communities? The transgender community, communities of color, women, LatinX communities? Those are the areas that need the focus as we move towards getting to zero," he said.
He will join community leaders in participating in the national observance of World AIDS Day on Sunday morning at the Memorial Grove. Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi is also expected to be there.
"At the same time, in Washington D.C. on the south lawn of the White House, there will be 150 quilt blocks on display. It will be the first time a president has ever spoken over the quilt. It's a powerful system of justice, of memory, of love, of loss and of hope," Cunningham said.
On Sunday, the observance of World AIDS Day at the National AIDS Memorial Grove will take place from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. with various speakers and cultural performances. The event is free to the public.
