Emory Remembers AIDS Victims on World AIDS Day

By Jim Burress

Atlanta, GA – December 1st is World AIDS Day. In Atlanta, thousands are expected to gather at Emory University to remember lives lost to the disease. WABE's Jim Burress has more.

Since the state began tracking HIV/AIDS cases, nearly 49,000 Georgians have been diagnosed. Almost 17,000 of those have died.

In tribute to the lives lost, Emory University will host the largest collegiate display in the world of the AIDS Memorial Quilt.

More than 800 panels will be on display--each representing a life lost to AIDS.

Michael Rabkin is Director of Emory Hillel, which is sponsoring the event:

"You can walk among the quilt panels and touch the fabric. It's like touching a soul. And you know that the people who are lost to this disease are more than statistics. They're surrounded by people who loved and cared for them."

Emory's World AIDS Day events start at 11 on the campus quad. The event is free and open to the public. Organizers expect more than 2,000 to attend.

Jim Burress, WABE News.