STORIES: Foundation for the Aids Monument, Los Angeles, USA
“Jaime was the only man I ever fell in love with. He was insanely beautiful, inside and out.”
Jaime Jesus Jimenez, 1963-1995
Story by Guy Berube
Listen to my story recorded here by The Aids Monument, Los Angeles, USA.
In collaboration with the Aids Memorial: https://www.instagram.com/theaidsmemorial/
https://aidsmonument.org/stories/pain/
REMEMBER. CELEBRATE. EDUCATE.
ABOUT THE MONUMENT
The Traces start with a very informal layout in the Celebrate and Educate section. As you move through the Traces in this section and toward the Remembrance section, the grid in which the Traces are located becomes more defined. This is a metaphor for what those affected by AIDS and HIV experienced in the 1980s and early 1990s.
The public didn’t really understand the disease, what caused it, how was it spread, how we were going to treat or cure it, how we were going to care for the sick, and when the fear, death and confusion were going to end. But as we fought for civil rights, as we organized, as we took care of the sick and educated people about prevention, as medical treatments became available, the disease became more manageable and understandable, and so the organization of the Traces into a grid reflects that greater clarity and feeling of community.
As you walk through the Traces in the Celebrate and Educate section, look up and you will notice that some Traces are engraved. 30 of the Traces have words engraved on them: words representing what people were feeling and experiencing, and representing the types of audio stories you can hear if you click on the Word Wall that appears on this website (on your mobile device if you are visiting the Monument). The words are placed in an irregular way throughout the Celebrate and Educate section of the Monument so that there is a process of discovery in finding the words.
The Monument offers a different experience depending on whether you visit during the day or at night. The location of the Monument near the restaurants, bars and shops of West Hollywood provides an opportunity for visitors from 6:00 a.m. until midnight.
At night-time, the lights at the top of Traces are illuminated, resembling the candlelight vigils that happened for years and years and gave marchers a sense of emotional relief and community during a very difficult time.
See Video: https://aidsmonument.org/library/a-journey-years-in-the-making/
“HEAR our STORIES” Attracts Award-Winning Talent
HEAR our STORIES, FAM’s new audio recordings project, in partnership with the hugely-popular and moving @TheAIDSMemorial on Instagram, features people telling stories in their own words, as well as actors and other celebrities such as Jim Parsons, Sterling K. Brown, Billy Porter, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Christopher Wheeldon (shown above, left to right) recording stories, about lost loved ones, survivors, activists, community leaders and caregivers.
FAM has collected over 30 HEAR Our STORIES recordings so far. We plan to record 100 or more stories by the time the Monument opens, and will continue to produce audio recordings thereafter, building a robust library of important, emotional stories.
We are proud to announce that Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jim Parsons (“Big Bang Theory,” “The Normal Heart,” “Boys in the Band”) recorded a posting about Ryan White. Emmy and Golden Globe winner Sterling K. Brown (“This is Us,” “The People vs. O.J. Simpson”) will record a posting about MLB player Glenn Burke.
Emmy and Tony winner Billy Porter (“Pose,” “Kinky Boots”) will record a posting about about ‘the Queen of Disco’ Sylvester. Tony-winner Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Dreamgirls,” “Moesha”) recorded a story about poet and performer Assotto Saint. Tony-winning choreographer and stage director Christopher Wheeldon (“An American in Paris”) will record a posting about Rudolph Nureyev.
FAM has made requests to other notable actors. We will let you know about further developments in subsequent newsletters.
VISIT