Remember (Christmas and AIDS)

I have come to associate World AIDS Day with Christmas. The City's squares and parks are all decorated and for the 19th year, Union Mission is hosting a Memorial Service this afternoon at 5:30. This is the first time that we haven't sponsored or co-sponsored the event when it was held in a city square.

The very first service was in Johnson Square in downtown Savannah. There were perhaps fifty of us gathered and having a candlelight vigil. There were several hundred waiting on us to finish so that the Town Crier would flip the switch and all of the Christmas lights would come on at the same time. Everyone was respectful until we finished. We said "Amen". He screamed "Merry Christmas!" and as we blew out our candles, white lights blazed and illuminated the square.

The next morning, the Savannah Morning News covered both events, but the pictures made it appear that hundreds had attended the first AIDS Memorial Service.

In the following years, it moved to Forsyth Park, Savannah's crown jewel. And every December 1, hundreds really would attend. White bags were illuminated with candles inside and each bag had the name of someone who had died because of AIDS. One year, I read the names of each person who had died from Savannah and was struck by the fact that I had personally known almost every one of them.

One year, Bubba Haupt and a couple of people crashed the service, when they arrived carrying a six foot cross into the middle of the crowd. Bubba was a very conservative evangelist who had taken to calling me a "secular humanist" and a pagan in the Savannah Morning News.

Anyway, Bubba and his friends mostly stood there during the service. At the end there was a moment of silence for all of those who had died from AIDS. Bubba and his friends took this opportunity to begin softly singing "Jesus Loves You."

I remember that Robert Bush had been the last speaker and was still at the microphone. Without missing a beat, Robert softly joined in and led the entire crowd in singing along as though it were part of the service. Bubba and his friends quickly left as soon as the song was over.

So I was saddened to learn that no one else wanted to sponsor or co-sponsor the event this year. There are no longer available resources to secure Forsyth Park. Interest seems to have wained.

But I am proud that Union Mission will continue it anyway on Fahm Street. During Christmas, and throughout the year, I think that we should remember.