With information at our fingertips, we now can learn about the US’s plans to end HIV by looking at the CDC’s website. But before websites, there was only TV, newspapers, and radio. If something was specific to your community, you usually found out about it, in your community. In 1985, four years after AIDS had made the headlines, more than 6,000 Americans had succumbed to AIDS. The budget for AIDS research was a fraction of what was spent on researching less lethal diseases. At the time, only one pharmaceutical company was seriously researching treatment.

In New York City in 1987 the group AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) was formed. The goal for ACT UP was to draw more attention to HIV/AIDS. Their motto “Silence=Death” which you may have seen before, sometimes accompanied by a pink triangle. ACT UP initially focused on the pharmaceutical company Burroughs Wellcome and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Burroughs Wellcome was the only company making an AIDS drug and it was so expensive that very few who needed it, could afford to access it. ACT UP’s demanded the FDA release lifesaving, affordable drugs, enact policies and protections for those living with AIDS, and educate the public about the spread of AIDS.

ACT UP led several other actions to draw attention to the profiteering of pharmaceutical companies and the slow process of the FDA to approve drugs. In September of 1989, they led a rally in front of the New York Stock Exchange using fog horns to draw attention to the streets. Other ACT UP members managed to get inside of the Stock Exchange. They chained themselves to the VIP balcony, threw fake money onto the trading floor, and impeded the opening bell. Four days later Burroughs Wellcome lowered the price of their AIDS drug.

Today, ACT UP remains one of the leading organizations fighting for equitable prevention and care for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Together we can advocate for greater investment in research and work to dismantle structural drivers of the HIV/AIDS epidemic such as stigma, discrimination, and poverty. To learn more about ACT UP click here. Philadelphia FIGHT Community Health Centers provide culturally competent comprehensive primary care, and state of the art HIV primary care to low-income members of the community, along with research, consumer education, advocacy, social services, and outreach to people living with HIV and those who are at high risk, including family members, communities with high rates of HIV, formerly incarcerated persons, and young people at risk; and access to the most advanced clinical research in HIV treatment and prevention. To learn more about their services click here. If you are looking for testing and services in your area, or if an at-home test might be right for you check out hiv.gov