Pictured At the Asian HIV/AIDS Event, Connie Amarathithada (left) and Rani Soppa. #2 Karl Villaneuva-Kimpo. Photos by Andrew Davis
The Banyan Tree Project marked the first annual Asian & Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day with a reception May 19. The event was held at Jane Addams Hull House Center for Arts and Culture, 1136 W. Wilson.
The Banyan Tree Project is a movement that brings together people to help reduce the shame, stigma, and discrimination involving HIV/AIDS and the Asian and Pacific Islander communities. The aims of the project are to: develop an annual national day and campaign; to foster leadership among popular opinion leaders; sensitize the media about HIV/AIDS; encourage access to HIV-related healthcare services; and expand its network of partners and cities.
At one point during the presentation, attendees viewed two public service announcements —'Changing Tables' and 'Breaking Traditions' —that deal with Asian/Pacific Islander families and HIV/AIDS. Comcast Chicago and Cable Positive received recognition for their roles in the airing of these advertisements.
People also saw a trailer of Honor Thy Children, a 40-minute documentary by Francisco Leon that documents the heartbreaking saga of Al and Jane Nakatani, who lost their three sons over the span of eight years ( Glen and Guy to HIV/AIDS and Greg to murder ) . However, the screening also spotlighted triumph as well as tragedy; somehow, Al and Jane muster the courage and strength to live on and discuss their children in public speaking engagements.
The featured speaker of the evening was Connie Amarathithada, an HIV-positive transgender Laotian who lives in San Francisco but whose roots are in the Chicago suburb of Elgin. ( Amarathithada has become a highly visible advocate for the rights of both transgenders and HIV-positive individuals, having worked with agencies such as the Asian Pacific Islander Wellness Center and having served on the original Transgender Community Advisory Committee to the San Francisco Department of Public Health. ) She talked about moving to San Francisco in 1991 because of the openness and range of services the city offered. ( Amarthithada has been positive since 1986. ) She also talked about the difficulty the Southeast Asian community has in obtaining proper healthcare ( 'I have to go to [ doctors' ] houses. They won't come see you.' ) , her own recovery from drug addiction, and the lack of trust of medical professionals that keeps community members from getting tested. She concluded her talk by saying that the most important thing is family ( 'The energy from family is bigger than anything else' ) , a thought echoed by emcee Karl Villaneuva-Kimpo, program manager of the Asian Health Coalition of Illinois.
