Abounding Prosperity Inc. will be unveiling A Legacy of Lives Lost, a new art installation to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, tomorrow (Wednesday, Dec. 1) at HOPE Health and Wellness Center, 1619 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in Dallas.

The installation will be open to the public from 10 a.m.-7 p.m., and will be up through Dec. 3.

“The event commemorates the more than 36 million individuals who have died from AIDS related complications globally since the beginning of the pandemic 40 years ago,” explained an email from AP Inc.

World AIDS Day is marked each year on Dec. 1, and this year’s theme is “Ending the HIV Epidemic: Equitable Access, Everyone’s Voice,” focused around highlighting awareness of “the health inequities that plague Black and brown communities [and ensuring that] the voices of those most affected are central to the work to end all epidemics,” the press release explained.

The evening will conclude with a CommUNITY Memorial Commemoration from 5-6 p.m., featuring a tribute video and a brief presentation.

Visitors are encouraged to interact with the exhibit by adding names and remembrances to one of the 100 life-sized human forms included in the exhibit to commemorate friends, family members or an admired personality who have died from AIDS-related complications.

The community can also participate by submitting a name in advance to be included in the unveiling. To submit information for A Legacy of Lives Lost art installation, send an email to dwelters@aboundingprosperity.org with Legacy Art in the subject line.

AP Inc.’s CEO, Kirk Myers-Hill, said,  “Forty years later, we are seeing some of the same stigma and significant disparity within Black and brown communities, under the guise of COVID-19 but still amidst the HIV pandemic. The south has always been a hotbed of inequity and inequality, so it is up to us in the south to lead the charge necessary to improve the quality of lives of our communities.”

In conjunction with the display of A Legacy of Lives Lost, the CommUNITY Family Reunion takes place from 2-4:45 p.m. at AP Inc.’s Community Center, 1705 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The Family Reunion will feature a Wellness Fair in partnership with H.O.P.E. Health and Wellness Center, Barbara Jordan Leadership Institute and Dallas County Health and Human Services. Free food, entertainment and free hygiene and COVID-19 Wellness Kits will be distributed.

Additionally, free wellness screenings will be offered throughout the duration of the event including HIV/STIscreenings and COVID-19 vaccinations.

— Tammye Nash