{"id":410740,"date":"2025-11-28T14:34:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T14:34:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/410740\/"},"modified":"2025-11-28T14:34:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T14:34:17","slug":"a-day-to-remember-a-day-to-look-forward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/410740\/","title":{"rendered":"A day to remember, a day to look forward"},"content":{"rendered":"

CAROLINE SAVOIE | East Texas Staff Writer<\/strong>
carosavo@storydustsearch.com<\/a><\/p>\n

A broad coalition of longtime HIV\/AIDS organizations and advocates will host events across North Texas next week to commemorate World AIDS Day, observed annually on Dec. 1. The centerpiece of Dallas-area programming is Together We Rise, the third annual free community gathering recognizing the history of the HIV\/AIDS epidemic and the continued work toward ending it.<\/p>\n

The event will take place Monday, Dec. 1, from 6-8:30 p.m. at Cathedral of Hope, 5910 Cedar Springs Road. Organizers include AIDS Outreach Center Fort Worth, AIDS Walk South Dallas, AIN, A Sister\u2019s Gift, Cathedral of Hope, Dallas Bears, DFW Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, DIFFA Dallas, Firedancers Dallas, Greg Dollgener Memorial AIDS Fund Inc., Health Services of North Texas Denton, Legacy Cares, Miss Gay Texas State Pageant System, Prism Health North Texas, Resource Center, Turtle Creek Chorale, the Women\u2019s Chorus of Dallas and the United Court of the Lone Star Empire.<\/p>\n

Since 1988, communities worldwide have gathered on Dec. 1 to honor those lost to HIV\/AIDS and rally against stigma. Together We Rise continues that tradition in Dallas, bringing together dozens of groups, advocates and allies.<\/p>\n

\"\"Brian Kennedy<\/p>\n

\"\"DR Hanson<\/p>\n

\"\"Dr. John Carlo<\/p>\n

\"\"Dr. Nick Bellos<\/p>\n

\"\"Portia Cantrell<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s program takes inspiration from author Sarah Schulman\u2019s The Gentrification of the Mind, which examines the divides between the height of the AIDS crisis and the ongoing realities of HIV today. Entrepreneur and community organizer DR Hanson will moderate the keynote panel, How We Heal, featuring two speakers reflecting on the early epidemic and two focused on the future.<\/p>\n

Dr. Nick Bellos, a Dallas infectious disease physician with more than 40 years in HIV care, and Portia Cantrell, a retired trauma nurse and founder of Silver Pride Project, will discuss the medical community\u2019s work during the 1980s and 1990s, when treatment options were limited and support from government and systems was scarce.<\/p>\n

Dr. John Carlo, CEO of Prism Health North Texas, and Brian Kennedy, an LGBTQ+-affirming licensed professional counselor, will address medical advances, expanded mental health support and ongoing efforts to end the epidemic by 2030.<\/p>\n

The evening will begin with a blessing from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and performances by Turtle Creek Chorale and the Women\u2019s Chorus of Dallas. Participating organizations will host resource tables, and state Rep. Venton Jones, the Dallas Democrat who was the first openly-HIV-positive person elected to the Texas Legislature, will offer remarks reflecting on the city\u2019s response to HIV\/AIDS and recent legislative developments.
Hanson said the event aims to create space for intergenerational healing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we talk about HIV\/AIDS in our community in 2025, there is a growing divide between younger generations living and thriving with access to PrEP and an older generation also thriving but living with the trauma of surviving a plague,\u201d Hanson said. \u201cWe hope to bring folks together to discuss how we heal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Cece Cox, CEO of Resource Center, said ongoing cuts to federal HIV-prevention funding heighten the need for community mobilization.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe remain committed to Black and Hispanic communities, which are disproportionately impacted by HIV,\u201d Cox said. \u201cWe cannot go backward on medical advances to prevent HIV and help those living with HIV thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

David Hearn, founder of the Greg Dollgener Memorial AIDS Fund, said his organization was created in 1994, after the death of his partner Greg Dollgener, to help people experiencing urgent needs.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks to advances in medicine and mental health care, people are living longer with HIV,\u201d Hearn said. \u201cWe have come a long way, yet there is still work to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Carlo emphasized the importance of collective action as Prism Health North Texas approaches its 40th anniversary.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur shared strength is what makes this work move forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

This week, musician Tionne \u201cT-Boz\u201d Watkins partnered with Gilead to release \u201cSo We PrEP,\u201d a re-imagined version of a 1990s hit designed to spark conversations about empowerment and HIV prevention in Black communities, which continue to experience disproportionate impacts. According to AIDSVu, Black communities represent 42.5 percent of people living with HIV in Dallas County.<\/p>\n

Advocates say the campaign underscores the importance of culturally grounded messaging at a time when PrEP access remains unequal nationally.<\/p>\n

Additional World AIDS Day programming<\/strong>
Several other World AIDS Day events will take place across the region:<\/p>\n

Dallas County Health and Human Services <\/strong>will host a free, in-person World AIDS Day gathering featuring speakers, educational sessions, drag performances and community engagement. The event includes free parking and is open to all ages.<\/p>\n

Dallas College <\/strong>will host World AIDS Day events across three campuses, each featuring free HIV testing by UT Southwestern, educational programming and a resource fair:<\/p>\n