Dozens of AIDS activists gathered Tuesday in front of City Hall holding signs, handing out flyers and shouting, “End AIDS now!” for the Stand Against AIDS rally.
Protesters dressed in yellow T-shirts featuring the Stand Against AIDS logo held various signs including a massive banner that read, “They’ve got 100 days to stand against AIDS.”
The rally’s primary purpose was to call on Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain to commit to a national AIDS strategy within their first 100 days of office.
“We have to believe we can influence our leaders,” said Larry Bryant, national spokesperson for Stand Against AIDS. “Whichever president elected must develop a national strategy to end AIDS.”
Beginning in mid-September, several different caravans from all over the country descended upon Mississippi to participate in this march, which is modeled after university alumnus James Meredith’s historic 1968 Walk Against Fear.
The rally on Oxford’s courthouse Square culminated a 10-day, 178-mile walk, which kicked off in Jackson with help from Meredith himself as a way to not only create awareness for the epidemic but also to present the need to have specific, measurable and tangible plans for dealing with it.
“We want to talk to the next president, whoever it may be, to end AIDS not only in Mississippi but also across the nation,” said rally organizer Valencia Robinson.
Other organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Mississippi as well as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) joined in the campaign to combat the AIDS crisis in America.
Housing Works, an organization based in New York City, that aims to provide housing, food, social support, drug treatment and employment to homeless and low-income individuals living with HIV or AIDS, is also participating.
“This is much more than a public health issue; this is a social justice issue,” Christine Campbell of Housing Works said.
“We’ve got to address this in terms of racism, poverty, homophobia, sexism and all the other -isms,” she said.
The campaign has planned other events over the next few days leading up to the presidential debate including a meeting of activist groups on Thursday to share ideas and information as well as to plan initiatives.
At 3 p.m. Friday in front of City Hall, the group will hold a mock funeral and memorial service in honor of those who have died from AIDS.
The service will also serve to recognize the thousands more who will die over the next few years if the next administration fails to develop an effective national AIDS strategy.
