POZ, the leading brand for HIV/AIDS information in the United States, and The NAMES Project Foundation, custodians of The AIDS Memorial Quilt, are pleased to announce a partnership to bring the AIDS Memorial Quilt to the nation’s capital from July 21 – 24, to coincide with the XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012).

The profoundly powerful AIDS Memorial Quilt will be displayed in its entirety for the first time since 1996 in multiple key locations on and around Capitol Hill and throughout metropolitan Washington, DC. The display will be accompanied by interactive portals, print and online educational materials and live programming designed to highlight the history of the AIDS epidemic, gather and share the stories behind the epidemic, and deliver general information about HIV/AIDS. Quilt visitors will be able to access information about The Quilt and HIV/AIDS testing, care and treatment in a wide variety of ways.  

“We are delighted that POZ and The NAMES Project Foundation will work together to bring The Quilt to the millions who need to see it to be reminded that AIDS is far from over and that we have the tools to begin to end AIDS,” said POZ Editor-in-Chief Regan Hofmann. “We look forward to sharing the Quilt with our large and diverse audience in conjunction with what is sure to be a most historic global AIDS meeting. As we have done for nearly two decades, we will ensure the community of people with HIV and people whose lives have been touched by the disease will be enriched through joining a supportive and knowledgeable community.”  

“The AIDS Memorial Quilt has incredible power to draw people into a conversation about HIV/AIDS,” said Julie Rhoad, President and CEO of the NAMES Project. “The Quilt is a wonderful way to engage people with a subject many find otherwise difficult to face. It has proven an unparalleled tool for awareness, education and the de-stigmatization of HIV/AIDS—a notion that is critical if we are to get more people tested and linked to care.”  

POZ magazine and POZ.com are part of the Smart + Strong family. Smart + Strong also operates several other health-oriented publications and websites, including AIDSmeds (a website devoted to the treatment of HIV), Real Health (a print and online guide to African-American wellness), Tu Salud (a print and online guide to Latino wellness) and Hep (a print and online guide to hepatitis).  For more information about Smart + Strong, please visit smartandstrong.com.

The mission of the NAMES Project Foundation is to preserve, care for and use the AIDS Memorial Quilt to foster healing, advance social justice, and inspire action in the struggle against HIV/AIDS. Established in 1987, The NAMES Project Foundation Inc. is the international, nongovernmental, 501(c)(3) organization that is the custodian of The AIDS Memorial Quilt and its associated document and media archive. For more information, please visit aidsquilt.org.

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