By David Kilburn

In 1985, the AIDS epidemic was devastating the lives of thousands of people – nowhere more visibly than in San Francisco. Cleve Jones, a young political activist, prominent in the inner circle of Harvey Milk, had already recognized the toll of this disease and had worked with others to create the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. Always an advocate for the gay community, Jones had helped organize the annual candlelight march honoring San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone, assassinated in 1978. While planning the 1985 march, he learned that over 1,000 San Franciscans had been lost to AIDS. He asked each of his fellow marchers to write on placards the names of friends and loved ones who had died of AIDS. At the end of the march, Jones and others stood on ladders taping these placards to the walls of the San Francisco Federal Building. The wall of names looked like a patchwork quilt. Inspired by this sight, Jones and friends made plans for a larger memorial. A little over a year later, he created the first panel for the AIDS Memorial Quilt in memory of his friend Marvin Feldman. In June of 1987, Jones and several others formally organized the NAMES Project Foundation.
Public response to the Quilt was immediate. People in the U.S. cities most affected by AIDS -- Atlanta, New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco -- sent panels to the San Francisco workshop. Generous donors rapidly supplied sewing machines, equipment and other materials, and many volunteered tirelessly. Today, there are over 47,000 panels representing well over 58,000 names.
The San Luis Obispo community will have the rare opportunity to see The Quilt, which will be displayed in conjunction with Pride in the Plaza this year. The AIDS Support Network, celebrating its 25th Anniversary, is hosting fifty-four blocks – 432 individual panels – that can be seen on Sunday, July 12th next to Mission Plaza. Three more blocks will be displayed at the Art Center from July 1st through July 12th. Many of the panels to be displayed are honoring and memorializing local residents of San Luis Obispo County who have died from AIDS.
In addition to the display, the AIDS Support Network is privileged to host The Quilt’s founder, Cleve Jones. Mr. Jones will be speaking in the Plaza at 3 p.m. A dynamic and inspiring public speaker, Mr. Jones will be able to share his experiences of the Quilt’s creation, his work with Harvey Milk and his feelings about the charged politics surrounding marriage equality.
Don’t miss this part of Pride in the Plaza. Cleve Jones is part of the history of the gay movement:  forward thinking, determined, and unflagging. His message to the community is just as powerful today as it was when he worked for Harvey Milk.
On July 11th, the evening before the Quilt is displayed, the AIDS Support Network will host an Interfaith Candlelight Service of Prayer and Healing Ceremony to honor those we have loved and lost to AIDS. After the Ceremony, participants will carry candles and newly made Quilt panels through the streets of San Luis Obispo to the San Luis Obispo Arts Center where the newly made Quilt panels will be dedicated and become a part of the larger Quilt. For more information visit: www.asn.org.