Blocks in this display: 5767, 5788, 5808, 5975

Blocks in this display: 5976, 5989, 5889, 5898

Display 1: The Quilt blocks featured in this display are part of the National AIDS Memorial’s Call My Name program. It includes eight sections of the Quilt with more than 150 names of Black lives lost to AIDS with notes of love and stitched memories from loved ones to ensure they are never forgotten.  Call My Name is a program designed to draw attention to the ongoing public health crisis by fostering the creation of new Quilt panels made by Black Americans in honor of their friends, family, and community members who have died of AIDS. The creation of the AIDS Quilt more than 30 years ago helped redefine the tradition of quilt making in response to contemporary circumstances. Call My Name uses this model and through hands-on, panel-making activity brings people and communities together to remember loved ones, grieve, find support and strength, and engage in dialogues for change.  Since the program began in 2003, Quilt-making workshops and displays have been organized in Black communities across the country, bringing together women and men from different generations, as they commune together and transform from a group of strangers into an intimate community.  Their commitment to honoring and remembering Black lives lost to AIDS, ensures their stories are always remembered, and become part of the National AIDS Memorial programs to use the Quilt as a powerful tool for prevention, education, awareness and social justice. Among the names on Block 5767 is Carolyn Jenkins Peneda, who wrote the book “Preaching with AIDS” and tells the story of her hard, but victorious life, and is a powerful testimony filled with hope and inspiration. Block 5788 includes a panel with the name of Wandra Jones-Phillips, made by her hairdresser, Kimberly Jackson, who kept Wandra’s secret of being HIV-positive for 10 years, until her death.  According to a 2006 Newsday article, she wanted to honor Wandra, a neonatologist in Atlanta, who “had a life of accomplishment” noting that her friend loved to ski and watch ballet, “I wanted to honor that.”  Block 5808 honors Granville Gadsden whose love for music is shown with photos from throughout his life with notes of love from friends and family.  Block 5788 also includes the names of three Black men -- George Macklin, Eric Jordan and James Loston -- whose stories are shared in touching letters written by loved ones that accompanied their Quilt panels. Block 5975 includes a panel honoring Sean Sasser, an AIDS activist who appeared on MTV’s The Real World: San Francisco, which openly shared his relationship with Pedro Zamora, helping open hearts and minds to LGBT issues and those living with HIV/AIDS. Block 5976 contains three panels honoring Joe Pifath, Peter Johnson and Ted Carlton and include the military uniforms they wore serving their country.  There is also a panel for LeRoy Whitfield, a black journalist who died in 2005 at the age of 36, who wrote about the effect of AIDS on America’s Black community. Block 5989 is a tribute to Chakena “CC” Conway/David Isaiah Joseph, a poet, health motivator, advocate, activist and youth representative.  CC was the youngest founding member of Positive Women’s Network, which shared stories of CC with a Quilt panel and a touching tribute.

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Blocks in this display: 1324, 2145, 3423, 3525

Blocks in this display: 3693, 4837, 5687, 5719

Display 2: This display is a collection of Quilt panels of Black children and young adults who lost their lives to AIDS. Block 1324 memorializes Shalonda Cobbs, a 2 year old from New Jersey made by the St. Clares Home for Children, which shows her pulling her wagon with her favorite children’s characters and lyrics from the Sesame Street theme song, “sunny days…on my way to where the air’s sweet.”  Block 2145  honors Fabianne Curtis, a 19-year old college student attending Babson College. One panel, submitted from Babson College, is signed by some of her friends. Block 3423 honors a brother, Barry Sumpter, with a panel made by his sister. Sewn in the colors of the rainbow, it includes a smiling photo of Barry and two tennis racquets, showing his love for the sport. Block 3525 has a panel made by a mother and father from Texas honoring their son, Chris Stull, who died of AIDS at 15 years old. The panel shows him being embraced by an angel with a verse from the Bible which reads, “I have fought the good fight, I have finshed the race, I have kept the faith.” Block 3693 has a panel for 26 year old Bernard James Little from Vermont.  His panel has a black kimono shirt he wore sewn into it with a photo of him wearing it surrounded by doves and messages from loved ones. Block 4837 shares the story of 23 year old “Lukie” Darrell Mackabee whose Mom remembers her son with a panel.  On the panel she stitched into it many of his keepsakes from throughout his life. Block 5687 honors Linda Marie Moran, a 25 year old from Tennessee, with a panel that has stitched into it several photographs highlighting the many chapters of her life. Block 5719 remembers a 13 year old, Zinhle Mbali, from South Africa that was made by AIDS Services of North Texas.  The panel has sewn into it several childhood keepsakes.

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Blocks in this display: 2365, 2542, 3367, 3397

Blocks in this display: 3530, 4433, 5546, 5599

Display 3: This display honors Black children who lost their lives to AIDS.  Block 2365 memorializes Shawn Sheffield with a panel made by his pre-school teachers which shows a photo of his classmates and, who wrote this touching letter about his life. According to a Washington Post story from December 3, 2000, Students Moved by AIDS Stories Stitched Into Reality, “…Dawn Fowler, 19, was trying to understand as she stared at the panel for Shawn T. Sheffield, which had the little girl's blue winter jacket as its centerpiece. "She was only 5 years old," Fowler said in a disbelieving voice. "You can catch it at any age."  Block 2542 honors Alexzandria Lorean Biggs, a two year old, that shows her photo, a teddy bear, Big Bird and a poem written by her mother Charlene.  Her story is told in a moving article written by the Washington Post in 1992, Bound by the Thread of Humanity, “…Charlene, 30, pours her grief instead into the poems and stories she has been writing since Alexzandria died. "I can be angry about it," she says, "but instead I soothe myself with my writing." Block 3367 honors one-year-old Cassandra Inkrote. Her story is lovingly told by her grandmother Sandra Bones in a letter that accompanied the Quilt panel. This article from 2016 by FamilyFirst Health provides more context about this panel for Alexzandria, "...A few months after Cassie’s death, Bones started working on a quilt for the NAMES Project in her honor. On the light pink swatch, there are a handful of little things from the girl’s short, well-loved life that include a rabbit she had and pieces of blankets she had."  Block 3397 shares the memories of Quincy Drake, a beautiful 4 year old boy who was Indiana’s 1st AIDS foster child, with a note from his Foster Dads that reads, “Our acceptance gave you hope.  You gave us love that changed our lives forever.” Block 3530 has a panel for Damian Prince from High Point, North Carolina and died at four.  In a 1993 story from the News & Record, Fighting AIDS with Love, which spoke to his grandmother and reads, “...AIDS took the life of a High Point woman's daughter. Now, her 3-year-old grandson has the disease, but she keeps fighting the battle with one weapon: love. Damian Prince is 3 years old, and he is dying. He may last another week. Or a few months. Maybe even a year or more. But he will die.Rosa Prince cradles her grandson in her lap and tells the sad, short story of his life while he nibbles on a Cheeto. He contracted HIV at birth and developed AIDS within 18 months. He weighs 20 pounds and walks with a limp. But he's a fighter, and so is his grandma. In 1991, she lost her 29-year-old adopted daughter, Daisy, to AIDS. Daisy's legacy to Damian was that he, too, will die of AIDS.”  Block 4433 shares the story of Latoya Walker with a photo of her surrounded in lace on a pink panel with doves, flowers, lambies, a cross and the words, “Gods Angel” above the drawing looking down on her. This letter from her Mother was submitted with the Quilt panel. Block 5546 honors several Black American children who died of AIDS made by loved ones. It includes panels in memory of the infants and children of Miami-Dade County, Serena Mitchell, Manny, Amira Lora Sterling, Joshua Jaimie, Louise Denson, Amira Lara Sterling, Lea Tamara Sterling and Randy “Randis” Bausal with photos and memories that include teddy bears, Mickey Mouse ears, Mary Poppins, butterflies and angels.  Block 5599 honors a six-month old baby girl named Keziah J. Tatem with her photo and some of her crib toys and rattles attached to the panel.  
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Blocks in this display: 5442, 5570, 5592, 5670

Blocks in this display: 5798, 5811, 5986, 5207

Display 4: This display features several Quilt blocks that were made as part of the “Call My Name” program that organized quilt-making events in Black communities to remember loved ones lost to AIDS.  Block 5442 was made by quiltmakers in New Jersey for those they lost to AIDS.  The beautiful panels show Arnold Shaw’s love for fishing, how Venus Williams and Roland Goins were dedicated to music and dance, and Dennis Howarth, whose panel has the words empathy, acceptance, compassion, and endurance sewn onto it.  Block 5570 has a panel for Maurio Spikes, whose mother Charlotte Spikes and sister Kescia Muhammad said about the panel they made, “He was funny and talented and unforgettable. He lived with an intensity not known to many, and he influenced everyone who knew him. He loved exotic birds and all things fine and beautiful. Thank you for the opportunity to share the life of Maurio Raphael Spike with the world through this remarkable project. Each stitch was made with love and a prayer that this panel will endure forever.”  The life of AIDS activist Reggie Williams is also featured with a panel in his memory.  According to a tribute, Reggie began organizing in San Francisco in the early 1980s to address the spread of AIDS in his community where he is quoted as saying, “My hope lies in the future.  I don’t believe there will be a cure for me…but my hope is for finding a vaccine to prevent children of the future from getting HIV.” Block 5592 honors Black men whose passion for sports, music and community are sewn into each panel.  One name is of George Gramby, who died in 1993.  He was a local baseball hero whose motto was “new beginnings”.  George spent the last decade of his life helping people overcome substance abuse, forming a program called “Beginnings”, which still operates today.  For more than 25 years, the town of Morristown, New Jersey holds an annual George Gramby Day in his honor, renaming a park in his name.  Block 5670 is filled with notes from friends and loved, memorabilia and photos honoring their lives.   Bethel Angels, a one-month old baby, is remembered with notes of love of what could have been.  Leroy Thomas Bass Jr and Dan Emory Bass, who both served in the U.S. military, now rest side by side forever on the Quilt.  Blocks 5798, 5811 and 5986 include several panels from church quilt-making groups that include messages of hope from Providence Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, one sewn with the powerful words “AIDS awareness definitely saves lives – get the facts”.  “Love, Safety and Security”, “Love and Faith” and “What Shall I Do Lord” shine a light these lives. Several panels were made by Newbirth Church quiltmakers.  Another panel has beautifully stitched flowers sewn into it with the words “Live, Love, Laugh” in honor of Tangela Green.  Block 5207 is a block often requested for Quilt displays across the country with its beautiful red AIDS ribbons, including a panel honoring Tony Sanders, which shows Tony wrapped in a large AIDS Ribbon with notes from friends and loved ones.  This note accompanied the panel. Tony died in 1995 and his memorial page shares messages from his sister honoring his life.  Beside Tony is the panel for Steven Corum which reads, “I am the red ribbon you wear it for me."

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Blocks in this display: 0013, 1092, 2775, 2908

Blocks in this display: 5866, 5888, 5905, 5909

Display 5: This display honors Black celebrities – musicians, artists, designers, journalists – who we lost to AIDS, and, through their work, their names and connection to people, brought attention and awareness to the AIDS pandemic.  Block 0013 features a panel honoring Willi Smith, a revered fashion designer who invented streetwear who died of AIDS-related complications in 1987.  Willi’s panel brings to the forefront his passion for design, using fabric, buttons and zippers to celebrate his legacy. W Magazine chronicles his life and impact in a 2020 article, How Will Designer Willi Smith Be Remembered.  Block 1092 includes a panel in memory of Max Robinson, a legendary news journalist who was the first Black person to co-anchor a national broadcast at ABC in the late 1970’s. The Los Angeles Times shared his story in a 1988 article, Max Robinson’s Silent Struggle With AIDS. Block 2775 features the iconic Sylvester James, described in a touching tribute, as an androgynous, cross-dressing, openly gay, Black American, falsetto-singing, unapologetically flaming man-diva influenced primarily by church women, Black blues singers, drag queens, hippies, and homosexuals. Block 2908 has a panel made for tennis great Arthur Ashe. The Atlanta Journal Constitution remembers Arthur Ashe in a 2017 article, Remembering Arthur Ashe’s HIV Announcement 25 Years Later. Block 5866 was created as part of “Call My Name” workshops led by actress and singer Sheryl Lee Ralph that honors iconic seven Black actors and entertainers -- Howard Rollins Jr., Tony Franklin, Larry Riley, Sharon Reed, Raymond St. Jacques and Gene Anthony Ray. Ray, known for his high energy dance and performances, was best known for his role in the hit musical “Fame”.  Block 5888, also a “Call My Name” Quilt also honors Black entertainers and celebrities, including Max Robinson, the first Black anchor for a major news network, who died of AIDS.  It features panels for Eazy-E, Franklyn Seales, and Kenny Greene with photos, record albums and memorabilia sewn into the fabric. Eazy-E, a major figure in “gangsta” wrap publicly announced he had AIDS in March 1995 and died two weeks later. In a statement to his fans Eazy-E said, “I’m not religious, but wrong or right, that’s me. I’m not saying this because I’m looking for a soft cushion wherever I’m heading. I just feel I’ve got thousands and thousands of young fans that have to learn about what’s real when it comes to AIDS.” Blocks 5905 and 5909 celebrate the lives of several poets, authors, activists and entertainers including Essex Hemphill, Gil Scott-Heron, Marlon Riggs, Michael Morocco, Fela Kuti, Kenneth R. Robinson, Thembi Ngubane, Jim Hyde, Chris Noel Reed, Lemar Porterfield, Leon Brown and Jermaine Stewart.  Stewart, a R&B artist was best known for his 1986 hit single “We Don’t Have to Take our Clothes Off” and one of the first gay artists to break out of the clubs and crossover into mainstream.


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Blocks in this display: 1090, 3129, 3656, 4246

Blocks in this display: 5706, 5718, 5745, 5857

Display 6: By 2004, HIV became the leading cause of death for Black women between the age of 25 – 44. In 2005, the rate of AIDS diagnoses for  Black women became 20 times that of the rate for White women. Block 1090 features a panel for Nancy Love showing her reaching to the sky surrounded by colorful birds and flowers. Her friend Barbara wrote this letter about Nancy. Block 3129 features a beautiful floral pattern panel for Tanya Shaw with photos and a note about her life, which was featured in the Los Angeles Times article in June 1992 that chronicles her struggles and decline with AIDS dementia. Block 3656 honors M. Sharlene Fisher, with photos, notes from loved ones and sewn into the fabric is a roller skate, tambourine, and ballet slippers, highlighting some of her favorite things. Block 4246 shares the story of Pat Griffin with the words “Women Can Negotiate Safer Sex” sewn into the panel.  Block 5706 for Phyllis Rodgers is a beautiful pink pattern panel sewn into it her photo, rose bouquets and sing-along music.  Block 5718 includes a panel for Belynda Dunn, a Massachusetts AIDS activist who lost her battle from AIDS related complications in 2002.  Her obituary in POZ chronicles her spirit and work in her community, “When AIDS Action Committee of Boston hired her in 1992 to do church outreach, her first step was to take the preachers’ wives on a harbor cruise. “This was a stroke of genius,” said her former boss, Larry Kessler. “She took them out to sea, gave them a nice meal and dropped the anchor -- they had nowhere to go!” Within a few years, she had 45 black churches doing prevention education. “Belynda really lit a fire under me,” her pastor, Rev. Martin McLee, told The Boston Globe. “She helped us cross ideological and theological lines and not get hung up on the homosexual issue. She said to the black church: ’Get over it.’” Block 5745 has a panel for Tracey Bass, who died at age 26 and who had a love for music and CDs. Block 5857 has two panels honoring mother and daughter Monica O. Price and Belinda D. Price with a series of family photos, drawings and a letter submitted with Monica’s Quilt panel.  Students from the SCAD-Atlanta Writing Project also wrote and produced a beautiful podcast about Monica.

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Blocks in this display: 2173, 2268, 2933, 3206

Blocks in this display: 3926, 4939, 5159, 5714

Display 7: This display honors some of the Black children who lost their lives to AIDS at such a young age.  Block 2173 honors Tony with a panel made by his mother out of California.  He was  only 11 when he died and his panel features images of his favorite play characters, Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles.  Block 2268 memorializes Douglas Ian Coleman, who lost his life to AIDS at the age of 8.  His mother lovingly made his panel which includes a painting of “Dougie” in the center of the panel.  It was made from a photo taken of “Dougie” sitting on musical artist Ice-T’s lap as part of a wish he had to meet him. A story from a local newspaper about the meeting, along with a special poem were sewn into the panel.  Block 2933 honors a brother and sister out of the Bronx, Damein Cannon-Grant and Rasheen Parker-Grant.  “Da Da” was 5 years old while his sister “Ra Ra” was 9 when they died of AIDS. Their panels show their love for Christmas, sewn into the fabric a Christmas tree, an angel, stocking and photos with a note, “Mommy loves you.”  Block 3206 has a mother out of Florida remembering her 7 year old son “Leben” who she describes as “God’s Little Warrior.” She writes a heartfelt note on his panel which says, “You will always be in my heart and part of my life.   Keep watch over me my little angel.  I miss you.”   Block 3926 has two panels representing a mother and daughter who succumbed to AIDS:  Delores Leggett and Michelle Sharell Lewis. Michelle’s panel has her jump rope and hair ribbons sewn into it, along with photos and notes from loved ones. Block 4939 shares the story of 10 year old Otis K. Sharpe, Jr out of Rhode Island with a panel made from his mother. The panel has a pair of his red pajamas with photos, hearts and a drawing with a note from Otis.   Block 5159 honors a mother and son, Stephanie Waller and Conrad Waller. Stephanie died at the age of 34, a year after Conrad.  The panel is filled with beautiful memories with photos, Mickey Mouse ears, balloons, frogs and a basketball, along with notes from loved ones.  Jerry writes, “Aunt Stephanie & ‘Lil’ Conrad – you will always have a special place in my heart.”  Block 5714 includes several panels that honor children of South Africa who died of AIDS. One panel filled with teddy bears and a heart for Mnqobi Gerland, a 3 month old baby who, according to hospital caretakers was dying with AIDS and his grandmother was overwhelmed with his care because his mother herself had died of AIDS two months earlier.  Another shows a beautiful pattern of giraffes and elephants with AIDS ribbons with an inscription “BELIEVE” sewn into it.  Another honors several children on a panel with clouds as a backdrop that says, “Running Free – Forever Young.”

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