"Taking the Truck OUT!" at the Whitman-Walker 5K

Humanities Truck fellow Mary Ellen Curtain and her team visited the Whitman-Walker Walk and 5K to End HIV on October 26, 2019 to kick off her project “Taking the Truck OUT!: Recording Lesbian Activism in the AIDS Crisis.” The project will take on the unique challenge of researching, preserving, interpreting, and presenting to the general public the history of lesbian women’s leadership and activism during the HIV/AIDS crisis in Washington DC. These activists joined public health organizations such as Whitman-Walker to fight for the rights of AIDS patients and gay and lesbian communities.

At the 2019 Walk and 5K to End HIV, Mary Ellen and her team hosted a pop-up exhibit featuring photographs, posters, and training materials from D.C. organizations dedicated to fighting stigma and improving knowledge of sexual health.

Two people adding to timeline
An interview in process; Cameron S. interviewing, Meghan D. standing, interviewee Faith Mitchell sitting.
Two people looking at timeline.
A shot of truck at event; Kai W. and Haley S. in truck; Mary Ellen, Cameron S., and Amelie sitting at table.
Person writing on timeline.
Photo of the team in front of timeline; from left to right: Kai W, Mary Ellen, Amelie, and Haley S.
Person leaving Truck in tie-dyed Whitman-Walker shirt.

We also invited participants to give brief oral history interviews and share why they chose to participate in the Walk and 5K, and to add their own experiences to a timeline of AIDS and HIV-related events.

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