We Must Fight Back

Today was absolutely amazing! The day started off at the Bastille Market in which Lowell and Dr. Pitts introduced us to the most amazing crêpe stand. After we each managed to consume said crêpes (within seconds), we explored the market and got a fantastic glimpse into Parisian life. There were souvenir stands, clothing, toiletries, and food out the wazoo! There were people singing to passersby and a wonderful elderly woman scolded Madaline for standing in her way.

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The delicious crêpe stand we ate at

A little bit past noon, we traveled to meet with some members from ACT UP Paris.

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Hugues Fisher (right) and Dr. Yvonne Pitts talking prior to the meeting

Aside from being able to purchase some great gear, talking with Tom Craig and Hugues Fisher of ACT UP Paris was an extremely beneficial and informative experience.

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Shirts, buttons, and informational packets from ACT UP Paris

Being able to have such direct conversation with the two gave us the opportunity to see how different or similar HIV/AIDS (known as “VIH/SIDA” in France) are handled in respect to government regulation, societal mindsets, and recent occurrences. The biggest difference when it comes to the epidemic is healthcare and how it affects contraction/reported rates amongst the French population. Since healthcare is free and provided by the government, citizens of France are able to easily test for HIV/AIDS and to receive treatment. Concerning similarities, Paris is experiencing some upsets when it comes to youth involvement. This is a theme that I can’t shake from my thoughts; it’s centered around the new generation – that younger people are not joining the fight against HIV/AIDS. Tom stated that the lack of concern seems to be from the idea that, with the new medications and testing systems, HIV/AIDS are an issue of the past. However, aids.org says with about 50,000 new HIV infections yearly, HIV/AIDS is still considerably an epidemic and still spreading. The end goal of ending AIDS is growingly dependent on younger generations. Going back to our experiences with ACT UP New York, it seems that the issue of youth involvement is worldwide. The need for younger generations to take action and become activists, in this case concerning the HIV/AIDS epidemic, is heavily and increasingly necessary. Having experienced what we have thus far along this trip, it only seems right to say that we are responsible to spearhead this call to action, bridge the gap between the generations, and promote education on safe sex and the facts behind HIV/AIDS, something that each and every school system is far too behind on. We, as informed young adults, are responsible to fight back and fight AIDS.

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Group photo with Hugues Fisher and Tom Craig