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VH1
AIDS: A Pop Culture History
VH1 Music Studio
Cable in the Classroom
WEB RESOURCES |
Note to Teachers: The programs viewed in conjunction with these educational materials may include references, consistent with the eras portrayed, to substance abuse, violent acts, and topics of a sexual and/or political nature. Because this may be considered inappropriate for classroom use in some communities, you are encouraged to review the programs before presenting them to your students, and if necessary, choose those sections that enhance your lesson and are acceptable for use in your classroom.
Web
Resources
Informational Sites
Cable Positive
Cable Positive is a non-profit organization that works with media and
telecommunications organizations to help educate the public on HIV/AIDS.
This site contains valuable HIV/AIDS information in an easy-to-use
format. The site includes interactive components that complement
AIDS: A Pop Culture History.
http://www.cablepositive.org/hivinfo.html
Centers for Disease Control
The CDC is the government agency charged with understanding and preventing
the spread of disease. As such, its HIV/AIDS portion of the site
is massive and thorough. It has separate sections devoted to HIV/AIDS:
surveillance of the disease, prevention research, prevention tools,
treatment, testing, among others. It is an excellent starting point
to learn the current state of AIDS research.
http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/dhap.htm
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is an independent,
public-private partnership working to increase funding to fight AIDS,
tuberculosis, and malaria and direct these funds to effective prevention
and treatment programs, in the countries with the greatest need.
http://www.globalfundatm.org
Kaiser Family Foundation
The William J. Kaiser Family Foundation is a health-based organization
with an extensive background in HIV/AIDS work. This part of its site
is devoted to that subject, and it includes current events, research
results, and statistics on the topic of HIV/AIDS. You can also find
extensive information on many sub-categories of the disease and topics
related to the disease.
http://www.kff.org/hivaids/index.cfm
Kaiser Family Foundation Youth
Part of the Kaiser Family Foundation’s HIV/AIDS site deserves
special mention: the Youth & HIV/STDs section. It includes a wide
array of information that deals specifically with young people.
http://www.kff.org/youthhivstds/index.cfm
National Institutes of Health
Like the CDC’s site, the NIH is a governmental site that is incredibly
thorough. It is a site in which you can easily start down one road
of information and end up down others from thinking of additional ideas
to explore.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/aids.html#nlmnihresources
Rap It Up Classroom Connection
Black Entertainment Television (BET) has a public affairs initiative
called Rap It Up, and part of that effort is an educational curriculum
for high school health classrooms. Classroom Connection provides
10 stand-alone lesson plans created by experts and field tested in
urban school districts.
http://www.affiliatekit.com/networks/bet/bet/4cop/classroomconnection/index.html
VH1
In 2003 VH1 embarked on its first-ever campaign dedicated to HIV/AIDS
awareness. The campaign currently includes Public Service Announcements,
Online resources and Programming that identify the growing concerns
currently surrounding HIV/AIDS. This effort grew from a company-wide
commitment by Viacom to devote resources to support HIV/AIDS prevention
as part of the KNOW HIV/AIDS initiative.
http://www.vh1.com/interact/know_HIV/
VIACOM - KNOW HIV/AIDS
VIACOM - KNOW HIV/AIDS is an unprecedented, global media campaign that
combats HIV/AIDS through public service messages (PSAs), television
and radio programming, and free print and online content. The multi-year
effort combines the public health expertise of the Kaiser Family
Foundation with the power of Viacom's media brands and unmatched
audience relationships to foster awareness of the disease and its
prevention. More information about KNOW HIV/AIDS is available through
the initiative's comprehensive Web site.
http://www.knowhivaids.org or toll-free number 1-866-344-KNOW (5669).
Films
And the Band Played On (PG-13)
This 1993 film (based on reporter Randy Shilts’ book of the same
name) documents the early work on AIDS research and the way in which
communities dealt with the disease. Matthew Modine stars as Dr. Don
Francis, a public health official at the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) who works to understand the disease and stop its spread. One
of the many tragedies the film depicts is the way in which some public
health officials refused to cooperate with French health officials,
so as not to share credit for research. That lack of coordination delayed
the discovery of vital information.
An Early Frost (NR)
This 1985 made-for-TV movie was network television’s first attempt
to portray AIDS within a dramatic story. An Early Frost stars Aidan
Quinn as Michael Pierson, a character who is diagnosed with AIDS. The
way in which his family and friends struggle over how they should act
and react around Michael mirrors what NBC executives apparently grappled
with in the movie’s production. In order for NBC executives to
approve an onscreen kiss between Michael and his grandmother, the movie’s
creators had to get the backing of the Centers for Disease Control
(CDC) that the kiss did not portray a risky behavior. Reportedly, the
CDC actively encouraged the kiss in order to show people that the disease
will not spread through kissing.
The Hours (PG-13)
Based on Michael Cunningham’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The
Hours is the story of three women from different eras whose lives intersect.
Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, and Meryl Streep star in the 2002 film.
Streep plays Clarissa Vaughan, who may be in love with a poet who is
dying of AIDS, and the film is able to tie in her experiences with
those of author Virginia Woolf (portrayed by Kidman) from the 1920s
and Laura Brown (Moore) from the 1950s. Nicole Kidman won an Oscar
for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf, and overall, the film was nominated
for 9 Academy Awards. AIDS may not be the focal point of the film,
but it does demonstrate how AIDS in 2002 can be treated as a “fact
of life.”
In America (PG-13)
AIDS inserts itself into In America as a fact of life in America. Jim
Sheridan’s film (which he co-wrote with his two daughters)
portrays the lives of an Irish family that has recently arrived in
the United States to pursue a new life and the “American Dream.” As
the family struggles to make it work, daughters Christie and Ariel
befriend an artist, Mateo (portrayed by Djimon Hounsou who was nominated
for an Oscar). A fellow immigrant, Mateo is dying of AIDS, but he
is far from dead. He imparts wisdom and understanding to Christie
and Ariel that will help ensure that they succeed in their pursuit
of the American Dream. Overall, the film was nominated for three
Academy Awards.
It’s My Party (R)
Starring Eric Roberts and Gregory Harrison as Nick and Brandon, It’s
My Party (1996) also includes an ensemble cast who gather for one final
party for Nick. AIDS has led to health conditions that Nick knows will
end his life quickly. Before he goes (and before he is too weak to
enjoy it), Nick organizes a party for himself. Brandon is a former
boyfriend who left Nick upon learning that Nick was HIV-positive. Needless
to say, Nick’s friends detest Brandon for abandoning Nick, so
they are shocked when Brandon shows up at the party. The film is a
tear jerker accented with funny moments.
Longtime Companion (R)
Some have called this film the first major release to put a human face
on AIDS. Set in New York City in the 1980s, Longtime Companion centers
on the lives of gay men in the early days of AIDS (when the disease
was referred to as Gay-Related Immune Disorder), through the end
of the decade when it was THE story in the gay community. The 1990
film uses a documentary-style presentation, which is one way that
Longtime Companion powerfully frames the drama. The film’s
title refers to the way in which the New York Times would list survivors
of AIDS victims: they were not boyfriends, partners, or lovers; they
were “longtime companions.”
Philadelphia (PG-13)
Many regard this 1993 film (directed by Jonathan Demme) as the first
mainstream film to present AIDS to audiences. The critical and commercial
success of Philadelphia is an important moment in the timeline of
AIDS. Tom Hanks won the Lead Actor Oscar (his first) for his portrayal
of Andrew Beckett, an attorney who is infected with AIDS and is subsequently
fired by his law firm. A homosexual, Beckett hires Joe Miller (Denzel
Washington) to represent him in court against his former firm. Miller
is a character who initially shows his distaste and fear of homosexuality
and AIDS, a perspective that many audience members may have shared.
In 1993, many of the real-life and fictional AIDS victims that had
generated an outpouring of sympathy from the general public had not
been gay males. Andrew Beckett’s character, however, is a homosexual
who strikes a chord among many viewers.
The Visit (R)
Hill Harper stars as Alex Waters, a character in prison who is visited
periodically by family and friends. This 2000 film focuses on many
issues surrounding the incarceration rates of African-American males,
with AIDS being one of them. The film unapologetically and almost
matter-of-factly presents these issues through the vignettes of visits
to the prison. Billy Dee Williams plays Alex’s father and was
one of the four Independent Spirit Awards nominees. Throughout the
film, it is clear that AIDS is among many ways in which someone (particularly
African-American males) can be imprisoned.
Plays
Angels in America
Angels in America is Tony Kushner’s two-part epic play that examines
AIDS and homosexuality in the U.S. in the 1980s. In 1993, Angels
in America Part I: Millennium Approaches won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
The next year, Angels in America Part II: Perestroika won the Tony
for Best Play. The epic play weaves in social, political, and personal
themes and experiences with AIDS as a central theme. AIDS and homosexuality
are present in all of the characters’ lives, even if some of
the characters themselves don’t actually intersect with one another.
In the final (and very powerful!) scene in Millennium Approaches, an
angel crashes through the ceiling to visit Prior Walter, a character
who is dying of AIDS, and Perestroika picks up the story from that
climactic scene. (The play was adapted into a miniseries in 2003.)
Love! Valour! Compassion!
Debuting in 1994, this Off-Broadway hit written by Terrence McNally
earned a Best Play Tony in 1995. Because the eight central characters
in the play are gay, HIV/AIDS is an occasional topic of discussion,
and one that is always bubbling under the surface. Throughout one
summer, the eight characters gather at a large home over three different
weekends (Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day) to socialize.
Their relationships progress and digress as the summer marches on.
The character who grapples most with HIV/AIDS is Buzz, who is HIV
positive. The play was adapted into a movie in 1997 with many of
the actors reprising their roles from the stage production.
The Normal Heart
This 1985 play by Larry Kramer was one of the earlier dramas to take
on AIDS. The play is, in fact, extremely autobiographical with Kramer’s
character coming in the form of Ned Weeks. In the early 1980s, Weeks
is distressed over the disease that has infected his friend and lover.
The response to the disease by the government and within the gay
community further distresses him and sets him on a course toward
activism. His call to action alienates him among many of his gay
friends, but Ned eventually finds someone who is willing to help
him in his call to action: a New York Times reporter, Felix Turner.
In hindsight, it is clear that Ned Weeks (Kramer!) was not an alarmist
but one who raised his voice when many others would not.
Books
My Brother by Jamaica Kincaid (non-fiction)
My Brother is Jamaica Kincaid’s personal reflection on her brother
Devon’s battle with HIV/AIDS. Her memoir centers on the author’s
return to her native Antigua where her younger siblings live (including
her brother infected with AIDS). Kincaid has not lived with her family
since she was 16, and although she hardly knows her brother, she is
able to help Devon’s physical health (temporarily). However,
in her attempt to improve his psychological well-being and help him
make something of the life he has left, she fails to convince him to
stop engaging in risky behavior. One reviewer describes the book’s
writing style as resembling “images of flowing water in a stream:
constantly in motion and yet reflective.”
The Day Eazy-E Died by James Earl Hardy (fiction)
Despite its name, The Day Eazy-E Died is a work of fiction and an engrossing
work of fiction at that. James Earl Hardy’s novel follows a
slice of life in the world of the character Raheim, a successful
African-American model who is shaken a bit when the world learns
of rapper Eazy-E’s disclosure that he has AIDS. (Eazy-E was
part of NWA, a well-known group in the earlier days of rap.) Eazy-E’s
status convinces Raheim that he should get tested, and the novel
spotlights the time that he awaits the results. Raheim’s family
(including his 7 year-old son) take on added importance.
These materials are provided through a partnership with Cable Positive.
This curriculum was created in collaboration with Cable Positive, Cable
in the Classroom and Topics Education.
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