"This quilt was woven with a grief powerful enough to move the world toward unity, acceptance, compassion, and grace," the first lady said as she addressed the crowd. "As a mom, I think of the mothers who stitched their pain into these panels, ensuring their children would not be remembered as victims but as people full of life and love."
Daniel Driffin, an advocate and person living with HIV, reflected on the strides made in combating the virus while calling for sustained collective action. "We boldly know undetectable equals untransmittable. Take a moment and take in the more than 110,000 lives which are shared on these panels behind us. Thank you for the artists, beauticians, lawyers, scientists, caregivers, and all the other friends we have lost."
Jeannie White-Ginder, the mother of Ryan White, whose battle with HIV and death from AIDS led to landmark legislation, reminded attendees of her son's legacy in transforming the nation's perception of HIV/AIDS. "Ryan taught America we needed to fight for our children, to fight for what was right, and that we couldn't be silent if we wanted to see change in our communities."
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