|
Hartford, CT United States |
Columbus Green | Connecticut AIDS Memorial |
since 1 December 2025 without names |
Memorial Remembering AIDS Victims To Go Up In Hartford
The City of Hartford has chosen a site and the state has designated some funding toward the initiative.
Shawn Lang Task Force
The City of Hartford will soon be home to a special memorial to remember those lost to AIDS. The Shawn Lang Task Force applauds the support of Mayor Luke Bronin, whose last day in office was Friday, the Hartford City Council, Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives Matt Ritter, and the state bond commission for approval of and funding towards a Connecticut AIDS Memorial. The task force, organized to support an AIDS memorial in the state’s capital city, is named after Shawn Lang, a beloved AIDS activist and Hartford resident who died in 2021.
The city council last month approved the placement of the memorial on the Columbus Green near Lafayette Street and Capitol Avenue. "The council’s support is a milestone in the journey to creating a permanent monument to those Connecticut residents lost to HIV/AIDS since the start of the epidemic in 1981," wrote the task force in a statement. The State of Connecticut offered its support earlier this month with a $250,000 grant to the City of Hartford through the State Bond Commission.
“Shawn never missed a chance to turn a crisis into an opportunity for action,” said John Merz, CEO of Advancing Connecticut Together and a task force member. “She’d be thrilled that a piece of public art will be created, in view of the state’s Capitol, to remind us that the epidemic is not over, and we still need to fight.” According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, since 1981, over 22,000 people in Connecticut have been reported to have HIV, and more than half of those have died. Black people, queer and trans people, and women continue to bear an outsized burden of HIV infections and death from AIDS-related complications.
Supporting the memorial were Hartford residents who showed up in large numbers, calling into the meetings, writing, and placing calls to City Hall. “Hartford is proud to join cities across the country in honoring and remembering those who died of AIDS and those who’ve worked for so long to support its survivors and save lives, and I’m grateful to the advocates, city council members, and legislators who have worked together to make this memorial possible here in our capital city,” Bronin said.
“I am honored to have helped make this AIDS Memorial project a reality,” Ritter said. “Shawn Lang was a champion for continued resources, funding, and service for victims and survivors of AIDS and our communities. "She was always helpful to me as a legislator and left an indelible mark on our hearts and minds. With this memorial, we are saying we will never forget, and we will always fight.”
The Greater Hartford Arts Council provided seed money for the project. The next steps for the Memorial include additional fundraising and working with the community to select an artist.
The Shawn Layne Memorial Task Force members are Lola Elliot-Hugh, Shannon Jacavino, John Bonelli, Vicki Veltri, John Merz, Matt Blinstrubas, and Beverly Brakeman.
Image © Shawn Layne Memorial Task Force Patch
29 December 2023
Michael Lemanski, Hartford, CT
The City of Hartford has chosen a site and the state has designated some funding toward the initiative.
Shawn Lang Task Force
The City of Hartford will soon be home to a special memorial to remember those lost to AIDS. The Shawn Lang Task Force applauds the support of Mayor Luke Bronin, whose last day in office was Friday, the Hartford City Council, Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives Matt Ritter, and the state bond commission for approval of and funding towards a Connecticut AIDS Memorial. The task force, organized to support an AIDS memorial in the state’s capital city, is named after Shawn Lang, a beloved AIDS activist and Hartford resident who died in 2021.
The city council last month approved the placement of the memorial on the Columbus Green near Lafayette Street and Capitol Avenue. "The council’s support is a milestone in the journey to creating a permanent monument to those Connecticut residents lost to HIV/AIDS since the start of the epidemic in 1981," wrote the task force in a statement. The State of Connecticut offered its support earlier this month with a $250,000 grant to the City of Hartford through the State Bond Commission.
“Shawn never missed a chance to turn a crisis into an opportunity for action,” said John Merz, CEO of Advancing Connecticut Together and a task force member. “She’d be thrilled that a piece of public art will be created, in view of the state’s Capitol, to remind us that the epidemic is not over, and we still need to fight.” According to the Connecticut Department of Public Health, since 1981, over 22,000 people in Connecticut have been reported to have HIV, and more than half of those have died. Black people, queer and trans people, and women continue to bear an outsized burden of HIV infections and death from AIDS-related complications.
Supporting the memorial were Hartford residents who showed up in large numbers, calling into the meetings, writing, and placing calls to City Hall. “Hartford is proud to join cities across the country in honoring and remembering those who died of AIDS and those who’ve worked for so long to support its survivors and save lives, and I’m grateful to the advocates, city council members, and legislators who have worked together to make this memorial possible here in our capital city,” Bronin said.
“I am honored to have helped make this AIDS Memorial project a reality,” Ritter said. “Shawn Lang was a champion for continued resources, funding, and service for victims and survivors of AIDS and our communities. "She was always helpful to me as a legislator and left an indelible mark on our hearts and minds. With this memorial, we are saying we will never forget, and we will always fight.”
The Greater Hartford Arts Council provided seed money for the project. The next steps for the Memorial include additional fundraising and working with the community to select an artist.
The Shawn Layne Memorial Task Force members are Lola Elliot-Hugh, Shannon Jacavino, John Bonelli, Vicki Veltri, John Merz, Matt Blinstrubas, and Beverly Brakeman.
Image © Shawn Layne Memorial Task Force Patch
29 December 2023
Michael Lemanski, Hartford, CT
