The UWM Archives will officially launch the Oral History Interviews of the Wisconsin HIV/AIDS History Project Digital Collection on World AIDS Day, December 1, 2018.
The Wisconsin HIV/AIDS History Project brings to light significant stories from the state’s history of HIV/AIDS through the medium of oral histories. This collection includes video interviews with physicians, nurses, social service workers, AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ARCW) staff, and long-time survivors. The interviewees reflect on the emergence of HIV/AIDS and the stigma associated with the disease, address prevention and treatment methods throughout the years, and illuminate Wisconsin’s unique approach to HIV/AIDS care.
“This project makes a significant contribution to histories of the AIDS epidemic in the United States, which have tended to focus national attention on the East and West Coasts and perpetuate a mythology of the Midwest as flyover country. AIDS happened–and continues to happen—here,” says Michael Doylen, Associate Vice Provost & Director of Libraries at UWM.
“The courageous responses of the individuals who stood on the front lines of this tragedy deserve to be told and shared,” Doylen says. “The UWM Libraries are very proud to partner with the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin to bring these stories to light.”
The Wisconsin HIV/AIDS History Project was made possible with major support from the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin (ACRW), the Cream City Foundation’s Birch Lodge Fund, Joe Pabst, and many other generous donors. The digital collection can be found at https://wwwdev.uwm.edu/lib-collections/wisconsin-hiv-aids-history-project/.
The Oral History Interviews of the Wisconsin HIV/AIDS History Project digital collection complements the UWM Libraries’ LGBT Collection. The collection documents LGBT history and culture, with an emphasis on Milwaukee. The LGBT Collection is open to the public and widely used by students, faculty, and researchers.
To learn more about the Oral History Interviews of the Wisconsin HIV/AIDS History Project digital collection, please contact Abigail Nye, Interim Head of UWM Libraries’ Archives, 414.229.6980, anye@uwm.edu