It was the last time that the Festival for the NC AIDS Walk+Ride happened on the grounds of the historic State Capitol building at the heart of Raleigh. The 1- and 3-mile walks were concluding and the hundreds of walkers were making their way to the Closing Ceremony on the Capitol steps. The air felt thick with excitement and joyous for all that had been accomplished that first Saturday in May. Along with many of my companions, I waved at the people and cars who seemed all bunched up at the intersection of Edenton and Wilmington streets.

Suddenly, a weak but insistent toot came from the horn of an older model compact car as it tried to speed up and through the intersection. A young man leaned out the open window of that car and yelled, “Thanks to YOU people, I’m going to be late for work!” as he sped off down the street.

For a moment, the crowd paused … shocked by the realization that our well-meaning efforts had caused such frustration in that young man’s routine. For some, his words sucked the joy right out of the air.

I must confess that my first, very human reaction was to think something like, ‘Well, perhaps YOU should have left for work a bit earlier today.’ Soon, however, that sarcastic mental response was transformed into feeling sad for the young man’s plight.

Of course there ARE going to be people who don’t get the news that Raleigh’s Finest will block off many of the major through-streets in the middle of downtown Raleigh so the Walkers, Riders, and drivers can be well protected on the First Saturday of every May. There ARE going to be people who are new to our city and don’t know the first thing about finding alternate routes through our sometimes bewildering grid of side streets. There ARE going to be people who have had “stuff” delay their preparations for work, and some may face harsh and very real penalties for arriving late one more time.

I imagined the anxiety and fear building up inside this young man as he crept behind the last of the Walkers at what must have seemed to him to be a snail’s pace. He was going to feel the wrath of his boss one more time, and he didn’t like it.

While I will not minimize the real sense of terror he must have felt that Saturday afternoon, we can’t imagine the feelings that those people who are living with HIV and AIDS feel everyday. To them, EVERY day is another day of uncertainty about what will happen to them … another day of pain … another day of fear. For them, it won’t be another lecture from a stern boss and be over.

It amazes me how people continue to survive – and survive quite well, thank you – while living with the Virus. Often times, though, the only lifelines that any of them get is from caring doctors, nurses, and medical staffs, and the only support they get is from people from the Alliance of AIDS Services - Carolina who care about them. Their families and friends have vanished.

Even with all the advances that have been made in the treatment of the Virus, there are still many, many people who succumb to it every week.

There are many ways you can make a difference right now. This website hosts an HIV/AIDS eQuilt. You’ll find it listed in the Main Menu on the left. It provides an opportunity to publicly honor those people we love who are living with or have died because of the Virus. I invite you to stitch a piece in our eQuilt. If the person you wish to honor would be horrified to have personal attention called to his or her connection to the Virus, please offer only his or her first name and perhaps an initial.

Even after the Festivities of this year’s NC AIDS Walk+Ride event are over, you may make a monetary contribution to help enable the vital work of the Alliance.

For those who want to contribute even more effort to this fight, the Faith Ministries program of the Alliance can help you find individuals who need your help through an AIDS Care Team.

Until there is a cure, we must remember those lost, those living, and those we must protect. Will you join us?

– Jim Manchester
Wednesday, April 28, 2010