Rhode Island First Lady Stephanie Chafee P'14, local government officials, AIDS health professionals, poets, musicians and other activists literally painted the town red last night, as they gathered to celebrate the illumination of Providence buildings to raise awareness on World AIDS Day.
This is the third year Providence has joined cities around the world to illuminate buildings in red as part of the AIDS awareness project of (RED), a nonprofit founded by Bono and Bobby Shriver that focuses on combating AIDS in Africa. Fifteen buildings in the city were glowing last night, likely the most of any city in the country, said John Pagliarini, Providence chief of staff.
At the event, held at the Providence Biltmore Hotel, Chafee explained her goal to decrease the yearly incidence of AIDS in Rhode Island. She said currently a little over 100 people contract AIDS each year in the state. If new cases could be reduced by 10 a year, there would be no new cases in Rhode Islandin a decade.
Pagliarini urged the audience to "use today to commit to the goal of an AIDS-free generation."
This year, government officials and activists alike are focused on lowering the incidence of AIDS through prevention, not just the silver bullet of a vaccine, said Paul Loberti, chief administrator of the Office of HIV/AIDS and Viral Hepatitis at the Rhode Island Department of Health.
"People are going to do what they are going to do," Loberti said, adding that "the only prevention is protection."
In his recent survey of Brown students, Loberti found that while they were highly aware of how AIDS is transmitted, they still engage in unsafe, contradictory behavior.
"I think it has a lot to do with the society and the fabric that we've woven here, that sex is taboo," Loberti said.
Loberti also stressed the importance of getting tested, echoing what Ray Joseph, prevention supervisor at AIDS Care Ocean State, said in his speech. "Tell a friend to tell a friend to tell a friend to get tested," Joseph said.
The fight against AIDS is a personal one for some members of the Providence community. Debbie Blitz, who works in the mayor's office and organizes the Providence ceremony each year, was inspired to join the cause when her son died of AIDS 17 years ago. This is the third year she has organized the ceremony and the 17th year that she is serving as co-chair of the AIDS Task Force of the Jewish Alliance.
"I feel like I'm doing something that matters," Blitz said. "I got a little teary, you know, but I do it because I can. It's a great community of people, and the doctors are just amazing."
Providence City Hall, the Rhode Island State House, the Dunkin' Donuts Center and the Biltmore were among the illuminated buildings.
Providence poet Christopher Johnson, who began the night with a reading, eloquently summarized the overarching message of the ceremony's speakers.
"The only thing that should be feared is ignorance," he said. "And the only thing that should be forgotten is fear."
