CHET Faculty Pen Op-Ed on 40th Anniversary of HIV/AIDS Epidemic
CHET Core Faculty member Dr. Rafael E. Pérez-Figueroa and CHET Faculty Affiliate Dr. Kathryn Cardarelli recently published an op-ed in the Lexington Herald Leader entitled, "Forty years after AIDS appeared, it’s still an epidemic of silence, neglect and death."
"June 2021 marks 40 years since the first cases of AIDS were reported in the U.S., a disease caused by the HIV virus. While we are witnessing an extraordinary response to the COVID-19 crisis, the response to HIV/AIDS continues to be characterized by silence, neglect, and inadequate outcomes. The intersection of homophobia, racism, stigma, and social marginalization makes HIV/AIDS the story of a metaphor—a metaphor that underscores suffering, injustice, and death, but also one that has catalyzed community organizing and human rights advancements. The HIV/AIDS epidemic is like a tortuous light that invites us to work together for a greater good while revealing the reality of the world surrounding us."