#NewWarrior George Kelly, an AIDS survivor and activist, organized students from the Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy to commemorate World AIDS Day by writing the names of people lost to AIDS on the sidewalks of the Castro District in San Francisco.
Called “Project Inscribe” it is now in it’s third year. Dozens of students participated. “I’m doing this because I really care for all the people who died of HIV,” said Quinn Sapone, a nine-year-old student. “I really want to find a cure so this doesn’t happen anymore. This is a beautiful thing we’re doing to honor the people who died.”
Many pedestrians stopped to watch the students work and to read the names being written on the sidewalk. Hundreds of names were inscribed.
“Once I had the idea, I could not stop the passion. The sidewalks had just been widened. The Rainbow Honor Walk was created and had just laid their first 20 bronze plaques. I have been a school volunteer at Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy for nearly two decades. I have been living with HIV for over 30 years. I love my neighborhood and my community. Tom Ryan (Mr.Tom), a teacher at our school and my friend died of AIDS in 2012. Our 4th and 5th graders knew and loved Mr. Tom. I wanted to honor Tom and my many other friends and neighbors who died of AIDS. I thought the neighborhood should celebrate our heroes and invite the world. The perfect storm was created in my heart and poured out all over the sidewalks, that beautiful day in The Castro.” George Kelly, INSCRIBE 2015
