Memory Book: 2007'2008

While crafting HIV Plus's 10th anniversary issue, we scrutinized events of the past decade to select some of its highlights'and unfortunate low points. And while it was clear that the past 10 years were neither as tumultuous as the earliest days of the pandemic nor as euphoric as those of the mid 1990s, when combination therapy forever changed treatment, the decade hasn't been without its memorable moments. We've seen HIV rates explode nationally among women and youths and among African-Americans and Latinos. There were recurring waves of infections among gay men. And we witnessed the virus gaining stronger footholds in the Caribbean, Asia, and Eastern Europe. But there also were hopeful developments'like the rise of a new generation and breed of activist, the approval of new meds offering hope to HIVers who were running out of treatment options, and fund-raisers that drew tens of thousands of people and raised millions of dollars as well as the spirits of their participants. Here, we take a look at a mere handful of those from 2007-2008. 2007

Somber Milestone Visitors to the National AIDS Memorial in San Francisco mark the 20th World AIDS Day. Launched by the United Nations in 1988, the day was set aside as a global remembrance of all who have been lost to the disease.

Food of Life A volunteer at Food and Friends in Washington, D.C., preps freshly roasted turkeys for a Thanksgiving meal for HIVers. The group, like many similar ones formed across the country since the '80s, also delivers meals and groceries to homebound people with HIV and other diseases.

Having a Ball An attendee mugs for the cameras entering Europe's largest AIDS fund-raiser'the Life Ball'an exuberant annual gathering in Vienna that includes live music, a high-end fashion show, and a dance party. Each year more than 40,000 people attend the opening ceremony. 2008

Going Public Magic Johnson and wife Cookie get ready to make an HIV public-service announcement, directed by Spike Lee. The Johnsons helped launch the HIV-focused 'I Stand With Magic' campaign to educate others about the disease.