Fight the Fear with the Facts

Fight the Fear with the Facts

Contributor(s):
The AIDS Project of Los Angeles
The History of Medicine Division. Prints and Photographs Collection
Publication:
The AIDS Project of Los Angeles, 1986
Language(s):
English
Format:
Still image
Subject(s):
HIV
Public Health
Genre(s):
Archival Materials
Posters
Slides (photographs)
Abstract:
In 1982, many AIDS-specific voluntary organizations, such as the AIDS Project of Los Angeles (APLA), were set up to address the persistent problems of misinformation and fear that dominated early reports on AIDS. The APLA established a toll-free hotline, for example, to answer questions regarding risk factors and modes of infection. Although the first hotline office was literally a closet in a community center, where volunteers answered a single telephone and read information from a one-page fact sheet, by the time of the ALPA's tenth anniversary in 1992, the organization had assisted 11,500 clients. The image of a diverse group of people holding raised hands in this APLA poster from 1986 was in strong contrast to the stereotypes and stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS at the time the poster was made. While the grave faces of the crowd reflect the seriousness of the threat, the light shining down on clasped hands symbolizes the power and promise of greater awareness. This image, epitomizing unity in diversity, challenges existing assumptions that HIV/AIDS only affects certain populations. It also contrasts markedly with the passive response of many government agencies in the 1980s. Combined with the textual message, the poster suggests that fear and ignorance can only be overcome by working together regardless of age, gender, race, or sexual orientation.. NOTE: Slide of original poster image is slightly blurry.
Copyright:
This item may be under copyright protection; contact the copyright owner for permission before re-use.
Extent:
1 pages
NLM Unique ID:
101584655X105 (See in Profiles in Science)
Profiles in Science ID:
VCBBHH
Permanent Link:
http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101584655X105
Archival Collection:
Visual Culture and Health Posters (Profiles in Science)