Tote Bags for U = U Education at the 2024 CMA National Conference

From left to right: CMA Board members Sophie Yamauchi and Armando Perla.

Since the discovery of HIV in 1983, only a few groups on the ground began advocating for preventative measures and for the right of those dying from AIDS-related illnesses to be cared for. Those groups were part of a global movement that took it upon themselves to combat the stigmatization, marginalization, and neglect of people living with HIV/AIDS. That activism is a lesson for all organizations who engage their communities, and this absolutely includes museums, art galleries, and cultural centres.

The activism of these groups inspired our outlook of the 2024 National Conference theme — The Future is Collaboration. For the future to hold a vision of a collaborative sector and society, cultural and heritage institutions must take action now. It is for this reason that the CMA collaborated with Latinos Positivos, the Toronto People with AIDS Foundation, and the Textile Museum of Canada to produce one-of-a-kind tote bags for the conference. These organizations contribute to carrying on the legacy of the HIV/AIDS activism that began in the 1980s.

As the delegates arrived for the conference in Niagara Falls, they were each given one of the beautiful bags. The bags were designed by Latino-Canadian designer Roger Artiga and were sewn together by hand by members of Latinos Positivos with the support of the staff and several volunteers at the Textile Museum of Canada. They were made from scrap fabric that came from the museum’s re-use program. Hand-stitched inside the totes is an explanation of the global declaration on Undetectable = Untransmittable (U = U). The U = U declaration was made to take HIV/AIDS activism further: to raise awareness around the message and the science behind being U = U.

CMA National Conference 2024 delegates with tote bags.

Thanks to advances in HIV science over the last four decades, people living with HIV who are on medication and maintain an undetectable amount of virus in their blood can lead a long, healthy life without the fear of passing HIV to their sexual partner. The global declaration on U=U, endorsed by the Canadian government on July 28, 2022, takes the global commitment to U=U one step further by recognizing the value of the message as a tool to advance efforts to end HIV as a public health concern, and by committing countries to integrate U=U into their policies and programs.

Although HIV/AIDS activists have paved the road for a much more accepting society, the stigma persists. The majority of those affected with HIV/AIDS come from marginalized communities, particularly women and 2SLGBTQI+ individuals. If we truly wish to see a collaboration-filled future, it is imperative for culture and heritage institutions to continue promoting HIV/AIDS education, to continue advancing efforts to end HIV as a public health concern, and to continue tackling the stigma and discrimination against people living with the virus.

We are grateful to all those who created these one-of-a-kind bags. We hope that the thoughtfulness and labour that went into creating them serves as an incremental step toward a collaboration-filled future.