Title:

Fight the Fear with the Facts

Creator:

The AIDS Project of Los Angeles

Date:

1986

Description:

In 1982, many AIDS-specific voluntary organizations, such as the AIDS Project of Los Angeles (APLA), were set up to address the persistent problems of misinformation and fear that dominated early reports on AIDS. The APLA established a toll-free hotline, for example, to answer questions regarding risk factors and modes of infection. Although the first hotline office was literally a closet in a community center, where volunteers answered a single telephone and read information from a one-page fact sheet, by the time of the ALPA's tenth anniversary in 1992, the organization had assisted 11,500 clients. The image of a diverse group of people holding raised hands in this APLA poster from 1986 was in strong contrast to the stereotypes and stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS at the time the poster was made. While the grave faces of the crowd reflect the seriousness of the threat, the light shining down on clasped hands symbolizes the power and promise of greater awareness. This image, epitomizing unity in diversity, challenges existing assumptions that HIV/AIDS only affects certain populations. It also contrasts markedly with the passive response of many government agencies in the 1980s. Combined with the textual message, the poster suggests that fear and ignorance can only be overcome by working together regardless of age, gender, race, or sexual orientation.. NOTE: Slide of original poster image is slightly blurry.

Publisher:

The AIDS Project of Los Angeles

Original Repository:

The History of Medicine Division. Prints and Photographs Collection

Rights:

Reproduced with permission of the AIDS Project of Los Angeles.

Genre:

Posters
Slides (photographs)

Subject:

HIV and Public Health

Format:

Still Image

Extent:

1 pages

Language:

English

Legacy Source Citation:

Original Repository. History of Medicine Division. Prints and Photographs Collection. 11611. Free Text. This image may also be accessed from the Images from the History of Medicine (IHM).. URL. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/hmd/ihm/. IHM Order Number. A025119

Legacy ID:

VCBBHH

NLM ID:

101584655X105

Profiles Collection:

Visual Culture and Health Posters

Shareable Link:

https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/101584655X105

Story Section:

HIV/AIDS