Event: Seven Days in June Vigil, Rally & March
With ACT UP, Callen-Lorde, Citizen Action of New York, Defend Public Health-NY, Housing Works, Metro New York Health Care for All, Physicians for a National Health Program, PrEP4All, Rise and Resist, Treatment Action Group (TAG)
Friday, June 5, 2026
Gallery:
About the Event:
In a powerful demonstration of solidarity, the New York City AIDS Memorial partnered with ACT UP, Callen-Lorde, Citizen Action of New York, Defend Public Health-NY, Housing Works, Metro New York Health Care for All, Physicians for a National Health Program, PrEP4All, Rise and Resist, Treatment Action Group (TAG), and a broad coalition of community organizations for a candlelight vigil, rally, and march. Held at the Memorial, the June 5 event marked HIV/AIDS Long-Term Survivors Awareness Day and commemorated a solemn milestone: the 45th anniversary of the CDC’s first report on the epidemic.
Organized as part of Seven Days in June—a decentralized, national grassroots campaign running from June 1 to June 7—this gathering shone a spotlight on how the current administration’s proposed funding cuts will impact local communities. The campaign united advocates nationwide to ask elected officials to clarify strategies for improving healthcare affordability, sustaining biomedical research, protecting public health infrastructure, and ensuring stability for vulnerable populations, including LGBTQ+ communities and people living with HIV/AIDS.
We were joined by a diverse lineup of vital advocacy voices, including Callen-Lorde’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, NYC AIDS Memorial Board Member and Housing Works co-founder Eric Sawyer, HIV physician, researcher, and founder of Health Justice, Dr. Oni Blackstock, 2026 New York City Pride Grand Marshal, actress and cultural commentator, Peppermint, activist and actor Javier Muñoz, and UN AIDS representative Vinay Saldanha. Following the remarks, we held a candlelight vigil and march to the Stonewall National Monument, where a contingent of activists, including members of ACT UP and Rise and Resist, led a die-in. This event served as an essential platform for community dialogue, honoring the Memorial's history of advocacy while addressing today's pressing healthcare issues.
Photos: Alexander Sargent