AIDS Walk Philly Marches On for 37 Years

by Janice Tosto, for the Shuttle

November 1, 2024

I attended this year’s AIDS Walk Philly, which took place on Oct. 20 and started at Eakins Oval in front of the Philadelphia Art Museum. Each year, AIDS Walk Philly honors those who currently live with HIV/AIDS and those who died from the disease. This was my fourth time attending.

AIDS Walk Philly raises money for the AIDS Fund, which makes small grants to the most vulnerable people living with HIV. These can include assistance with paying a utility bill or getting a new apartment, for instance. Participants had the option of doing the live walk, a virtual walk or volunteering. The event opened with the reading of names of people who died from AIDS, which is always an emotional part of the event.

Robb Reichard, executive director of the AIDS Fund, addressed the attendees. “I don’t know that we ever thought… when I was doing my first walk in 1988, I thought this (the AIDS crisis) would end very quickly,” he said. “I was naive. I didn’t understand what the challenges would be. But we have come a long
way. Today we talk about getting to zero — zero stigma, zero new infections and zero deaths.”

Reichard shared a couple of stories about men who were kicked out of their homes by their mothers because they live with HIV. One of the men was newly infected.

“That is still happening…mothers kicking their sons out of their homes because they have HIV,” he said. “That should make us all angry! Makes me angry! Why is this still happening in 2024? Why am I still getting those phone calls?” Reichard emphasized the importance of prevention and treatment and helping people get access to both. He noted that PrEP or pre-exposure prophylaxis can reduce
the risk of getting HIV through sex or injection drug use, but that there is a racial divide that affects who gets the medication. According to him, only 11% of eligible African American and Latino males are on PrEP, in stark contrast to 78% of whites.

“We need to do better, guys,” he said. “We need to do better.”

Reichard mentioned that groups like Action Wellness and the Mazzoni Center work comprehensively with those who are living with HIV. And he thanked the attendees for their support. “You, by your hard work and raising funds and making those donations are helping people to get by — to stay in housing, to get a walker, to get a cane, to get a refrigerator, to get a bed, to get what they need to live a long and happy life,” he said. “Thank you so much for being here today!”

Prior to the walk, organizers held a warm-up session to get the walkers ready in preparation for the 5k walk around MLK Drive. Organizations including COMHAR, the Philadelphia Department of Health, Philadelphia Fight and Philly Keep on Loving set up tables to distribute information to attendees.

Over its 38-year history, AIDS Walk Philly has raised $19 million, according to KYW Newsradio.