world AIDS Day: Every year on December 1, people around the world observe World AIDS Day to raise awareness about the symptoms, causes and prevention measures of HIV/AIDS, which has claimed an unprecedented number of lives. The red ribbon worn by people throughout the year in memory of those who died of the disease is perhaps the most recognizable symbol of AIDS awareness around the world.
It is interesting to understand why the red ribbon was chosen to serve this purpose. While some feel that it is used to represent love for all those who have HIV positive results, others believe that it is meant to express the helplessness of those who are suffering, and because It spreads mainly through blood, red fits best.
However, the symbol’s history dates back to 1988, when arts professionals, as a response to the consequences of AIDS on the art community and as a means of mobilizing artists, art institutions, and art audiences for direct action on AIDS A group called Visual Aids. Some of these visual AIDS artists came together three years later, in 1991, to design a visual symbol to demonstrate compassion for people living with HIV and their caregivers. After being inspired by the yellow ribbon worn by American soldiers participating in the Gulf War, the artists created a red ribbon to represent support and solidarity for those living with HIV and to remember those who died of AIDS-related illnesses. decided to make. According to the website of UNAIDS, a Switzerland-based non-governmental organization, the project’s reason for choosing red was its “connection to blood and the idea of passion; not just anger, but love, like a Valentine.” said the founders.
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This project was to be known as the Red Ribbon Project. Volunteers from the Red Ribbon Project banded together to send letters and red ribbons to every Tony Award attendee in the United States that year. It was here that actor Jeremy Irons was seen on national television with a red ribbon pinned to his lapel. On Easter Monday in 1992, during the Freddie Mercury AIDS Awareness Tribute concert at Wembley Stadium, over 100,000 red ribbons were distributed, marking the beginning of the symbol’s wider introduction in Europe.
The television program was viewed by over a billion people in over 70 different countries. Many celebrities wore red ribbons during the 1990s, inspired by Princess Diana’s prominent advocacy for AIDS. Wearing a red ribbon is a simple and powerful strategy to combat the stigma and discrimination associated with AIDS. Therefore, the Red Ribbon is now a universal symbol of solidarity and support for HIV-positive persons.