REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - Services were held this morning and evening at All Saints' Church in Rehoboth Beach to honor those who died from AIDS.
CAMP Rehoboth, an LGBTQ+ community center, organized the event for World AIDS Day. Organizers say the event honors those lost to AIDS and celebrates the resilience of people living with HIV today, as well as those who provide care and advocacy.
"I hate to call it a celebration, but it is somewhat of a celebration, because people came together who wanted to make sure that the people that we've lost, and the terrible disease that is still out there in the world today is not forgotten," says Reverend Shelley D. McDade, who helped lead services today. "...we always have them in our hearts and in our memories, ...we're continually fighting this disease, because it has not gone away, it's not just a disease from the '80s."
The evening started with a candlelight procession from CAMP Rehoboth to All Saints' Church. The evening multi-secular service was themed "Living in a World with HIV," with readings from community members and musical performances by local musicians and the ALLIANCE singers of the CAMP Rehoboth Chorus.
"It's very important we continually remember why it is we are here and why we're coming together. Not only just to remember people, but also continue to fight and find cures for what is still happening today," says McDade.
The service also displayed a section of the AIDS quilt, with each panel memorializing a person who died from AIDS. Organizers say the quilt is an enduring national symbol of love and remembrance.
The quilt will be on display tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
"It does seem like it's almost forgotten.... People that I love still in this day and age are contracting HIV, which is such a shock," says McDade.
About 44 million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses globally since the start of the epidemic, according to UNAIDS.
World AIDS Day is on Monday, Dec. 1 this year. This World AIDS Day service was sponsored by CAMP Rehoboth, Sussex Pride, All Saints’ & St. George’s Episcopal Parish, Community Lutheran Church, Seaside Jewish Community Center, Epworth United Methodist Church, Metropolitan Community Church of Rehoboth Beach, Unitarian Universalists of Southern Delaware and Westminster Presbyterian Church.