Just in case you were curious, aids are still a thing. There’s no cure for them either. That’s what amfAR is trying to solve. But, I found out that you don’t even know what amfAR means, which worries me.
I asked five of my friends if they knew who was being honored at amfAR this year because I was catching up on the 2019 Grammys and they had no idea what I was even talking about. I asked five more of my friends to test out my theory and they too had no idea what amfAR was. Except for one friend who happened to New York. She’s much involved with the fashion world as anyone I know.
I can’t confirm that 9 out of 10 people don’t know what amfAR is, but I can confirm that 9 of the 10 people I asked didn’t know it existed. It seems to prove my theory that our generation isn’t as civically engaged or civically aware as generations before us, which is worrisome. Especially when you think about how far amfAR’s research, The Foundation for AIDS Research, traces back to.
We’re talking dedicated nonprofit research for cures, treatment, education, HIV prevention, and advocacy since 1985. As in a whopping $517 million in funds raised, invested, and awarded to worldwide teams searching for a cure. People have dedicated their entire lives to this.
Some of those people whom have passed on without seeing their direct impact in what’s been shared by Alan Cumming as “exciting progress” during their time on earth like its founders Dr. Mathilde Krim, founding chairwoman, and Dame Elizabeth Taylor, founding international chairwoman.
While everyone of us in pop culture was immersed at the 2019 Grammys, a group of 100 people were busy raising $1.7 million at the 2019 amfAR gala. Of those including household names like Michelle Rodriguez, Winnie Harlow, The Chainsmokers Heidi Klum, Kim Kardashian-West, Kourtney Kardashian, and more.
They also gathered to honor longtime supporters of the organization: actress and longtime amfAR supporter Milla Jovovich, legendary fashion photographers Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott, and tireless amfAR supporter and auctioneer Simon de Pury for their longstanding commitment to the fight against AIDS.
I tell you all of this because just imagine: 9 in 10 of the people I asked from our age group had no idea what amfAR was. To think that by 2019 amfAR has advanced in their research and that the reality of curing aids is more probable than not, it’s alarming that the generation who is next in line to carry out this important work is not involved.
Civically across the board it’s something we don’t do as previous generations. What will be the future of organizations like this and the people whose lives depend on them without our support?
Because being informed, alone, is support in itself. There’s nothing like word-of-mouth marketing.
Photo Credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Perrier-Jouet and Absolut Elyx and Jared Siskin/Getty Images for amfAR
