December 1 is the International Day of Awareness and a tribute to many millions of people who have died from AIDS-related illness.
This year’s UNAIDS theme is “Let Communities Lead”and is a prompt to acknowledge the essential role communities have contributed to the AIDS response at the international, national, and local levels.
On December 1, the AIDS Committee of North Bay & Area (ACNBA) in partnership with The North Bay Indigenous Friendship Centre (NBIFC) will be marking World AIDS Day (WAD) & Indigenous AIDS Awareness Week (IAAW) with the help of local dignitaries and community partners.
Mayor Peter Chirico will read the official WAD proclamation for North Bay which will be followed by a short vigil and several brief presentations.
Afterward, at noon, red scarves knitted/crocheted by volunteers and friends of ACNBA for the Red Scarf Project will be tied in the downtown area by ACNBA staff, peers, volunteers, and anyone at the event who wishes to participate. The scarves, bearing HIV/AIDS awareness information, will be left for anyone to take. Recipients are encouraged to share the message and send a selfie in their red scarf, which will be posted on social media.
See: Red Scarf Project opens up dialogue about HIV and AIDS
Day Without Art, which coincides with World AIDS, encourages art galleries, museums, artists and art groups to come together to highlight the impact of HIV/AIDS and to celebrate the lives and achievements of lost friends and colleagues in the arts industry.
A number of local participating art galleries, tattoo studios and other art organizations will set up displays paying tribute to those lost in the international arts community to HIV/AIDS.
