The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, often abbreviated to AIDS Memorial Quilt or AIDS Quilt, is a memorial to celebrate the lives of people who have died of AIDS-related causes. Weighing an estimated 54 tons, it is the largest piece of community folk art in the world, as of 2020. It was conceived in 1985, during the early years of the AIDS pandemic, when social stigma prevented many AIDS victims from receiving funerals. It has been displayed on the Mall in Washington, D.C., several times. In 2020, it returned to San Francisco, where it is cared for by the National AIDS Memorial. It can be seen virtually.
Punk'd is an American hidden camera–practical joke reality television series that first aired on MTV in 2003. It was created by Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg, with Kutcher serving as producer and host. It bears a resemblance to both the classic hidden camera show Candid Camera and to TV's Bloopers & Practical Jokes, which also featured pranks on celebrities. Being "punk'd" referred to being the victim of such a prank. New episodes hosted by King Bach and DeStorm Power aired on BET.
Rebecca Rose Lobo-Rushin is an American television basketball analyst and former professional women's basketball player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 1997 to 2003. Lobo, at 6'4", played the center position for much of her career. She played college basketball at the University of Connecticut, where she was a member of the team that won the 1995 national championship, going 35–0 on the season in the process. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2010. In April 2017, she was one of the members of the 2017 class of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, alongside Tracy McGrady and Muffet McGraw.
Liberty Meadows is an American comic strip and comic book series created, written and illustrated by Frank Cho. It relates the comedic activities of the staff and denizens of the eponymous animal sanctuary/rehabilitation clinic. The comic strip launched on March 31, 1997, and ran until December 30, 2001.
Blake Tollison Shelton is an American country singer, songwriter and television personality. In 2001, he made his debut with the single "Austin" from his first album, Blake Shelton. "Austin" spent five weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The now Platinum-certified debut album also produced two more top 20 entries.
Amber Lynn is an American pornographic film actress and mainstream actress, radio host, model, exotic dancer, advocate and humanitarian.
Zachary Levi Pugh is an American actor. He starred as Chuck Bartowski in the action comedy series Chuck (2007–2012), and as the titular character in the superhero film Shazam! (2019) and its sequel.
Marylou Whitney was an American socialite and philanthropist. A prominent owner and breeder of thoroughbred racehorses, Whitney was notable for "reigning for decades as the social queen of the Saratoga and Lexington racing seasons".
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is an international financing and partnership organization that aims to "attract, leverage and invest additional resources to end the epidemics of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria to support attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations". This multistakeholder international organization maintains its secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization began operations in January 2002. Microsoft founder Bill Gates was one of the first donors to provide seed money for the partnership. From January 2006 it has benefited from certain US Privileges, Exemptions, and Immunities under executive order 13395, which conferred International Organizations Immunities Act status on it.
Glen Baxter is a Canadian television journalist. He hosted CTV's In Fashion and reported for FashionTelevisionChannel.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation(EJAF) is a nonprofit organization, established by musician Sir Elton John in 1992 in the United States and 1993 in the United Kingdom to support innovative HIV prevention, education programs, direct care and support services to people living with or at risk of HIV. It has raised over $565 million to support HIV-related programs across ninety countries.
The International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF), located in Washington, D.C., is an organization working internationally to elevate the status of women in the media. The IWMF has created programs to help women in the media develop practical solutions to the obstacles they face in their careers and lives. The IWMF's work includes a wide range of programs including international reporting fellowships in Africa and Latin America and providing grant opportunities for women journalists, research into the status of women in the media, and the Courage in Journalism, Anja Niedringhaus Courage in Photojournalism, and Lifetime Achievement Awards. The IWMF advocates for press freedom internationally and often forms petitions asking international governments to release journalists in captivity and offer protection to journalists in danger.
Virgin Unite is the working name of The Virgin Foundation, the independent charitable arm of the Virgin Group. Created by Richard Branson and Virgin employees in September 2004, Virgin Unite pools volunteering efforts from across the Virgin Group and its hundreds of subsidiaries and associated companies to grow the efforts of smaller grassroots charitable organizations. Partnered with more than a dozen charities worldwide the company also provides a resource through the Internet by serving as an online donation centre for those wanting to contribute.
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) is an American nonprofit organization that raises funds for AIDS-related causes across the United States, headquartered in New York City. It is the theatre community's response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. By drawing upon the talents, resources and generosity of the American theatre community, BC/EFA has raised over $300 million for critically needed services for people with AIDS, HIV, and other critical illnesses since its founding in 1988. The organization awards annual grants to over 450 AIDS and family service organizations across all 50 states, Puerto Rico & Washington D.C., and is the single largest financial supporter of the social service programs of The Actors Fund.
K-33 is an approximately 10.4-mile-long (16.7 km) north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Kansas. K-33's southern terminus is at K-68 in rural Franklin County east of Ottawa and the northern terminus is at U.S. Route 56 (US-56) in Douglas County, east of Baldwin City and southwest of Kansas City. K-33 provides an important link between US-56 and K-68 to Interstate 35 (I-35) and US-50 in Wellsville. K-33 is a two-lane rural highway for most of its length, except for the section within Wellsville.
Dean Mitchell is an American figurative artist who works primarily in watercolor and oil paint. His subjects, derived largely from African American culture, have been cited for their emotional depth, avoidance of facile sentimentality, and accomplished sense of formal design.
John Michael Durnil served as the Executive Director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee from March of 2021 until his retirement in November of 2022. From December 2010 to February 2021, he was President and CEO of the Simon Youth Foundation (SYF). Durnil is the former Senior Vice President and Interim President of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), and the former Executive Vice President for Governmental Affairs & University Outreach and Assistant Secretary to the Board of Trustees at Roosevelt University in Chicago, Illinois. He has been nationally recognized for his service in the field of higher education and for his advocacy of LGBT rights. Durnil serves on the executive board of the American Council on Education Council of Fellows. Durnil is also an ordained Elder in the Presbyterian Church and a member of the International Order of DeMolay.
Khiry Lamar Shelton is an American professional soccer player who plays for Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City. He has also represented the United States at the under-18 and under-23 levels.
Yvonne Anuli Orji is a Nigerian-American actress and comedian. She is best known for her role in the television series Insecure (2016–2021), for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award and three NAACP Image Awards.
Smita Thackeray is an Indian social activist and film producer. She is the chairperson and founder of Rahul Productions and Mukkti Foundation. She has worked in the field of Women's Safety, HIV/AIDS awareness and education. She made her motion picture debut in the 1999 Hindi-language comedy film Haseena Maan Jaayegi which was released in June 1999, grossing INR 27 crores worldwide. Since then she went on to work extensively in the Hindi and Marathi film and television industry.
