General
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Alternate Forms Available
Separated Material
Acquisition Information
System of Arrangement
Processing Information
Organizational History
Scope and Content of Collection
Contributing Institution:
University of California, San Francisco Archives & Special Collections
Title: Mobilization Against
AIDS
records,
Creator:
Mobilization Against
Aids
Identifier/Call Number: MSS.95.03
Physical Description:
3 cartons
3.75
Date (inclusive): 1984-1995
Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog:
http://www.library.ucsf.edu/ .
Language of Material: Collection materials are in English
General
- Finding
Aid
Written By:
- Julia Bazar
- Date Completed:
- March 2007
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the UCSF Library and Center for Knowledge Management. All requests for permission to publish
or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Manager of Archives and Special Collections. Permission for
publication is given on behalf of the UCSF Library and Center for Knowledge Management as the owner of the physical items
and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
Copyright restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Mobilization Against
AIDS
Records, MSS 95-03, The UCSF Library and Center for Knowledge Management, Archives and Special Collections, University of
California, San Francisco.
Alternate Forms Available
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
Separated Material
None
Acquisition Information
The Mobilization Against
AIDS
Records were donated to the University by Ben Carlson for the Mobilization Against
AIDS
in 1995.
System of Arrangement
Arranged to the folder level.
Processing Information
Julia Bazar, September 2005
Organizational History
The Mobilization Against
AIDS
is a California-based national advocacy and lobbying organization that works to safeguard civil rights and to assure adequate
treatment for all HIV-infected individuals. The Mobilization was formed in San Francisco in 1984 as a non-partisan activist
organization. The organization was founded on the positive energy generated from the March for Lesbian and Gay Rights at the
National Democratic Convention. It is one of the oldest
AIDS
activist groups in the world, having been founded just three years after
AIDS
was identified.
The Mobilization's first priority was the defeat of the early civil rights attacks on people with
AIDS
, and then on increasing the funding for research on
AIDS
. This included advocating for a focused response to the
AIDS
epidemic from the federal government, and expanded to concerns over access to treatment, drug trials, drug approval processes,
and drug costs.
Another major project has been organizing the International Candlelight Memorial. Since 1984, the event has become the world's
largest simultaneous observance honoring the memory of
AIDS
victims and demonstrating support for people living with
AIDS
(PWA's). Memorials have taken place in over 220 cities in 35 countries. Events are arranged locally with support from the
Mobilization, including supplying sample posters, letters to dignitaries, and providing logistical tips.
They have also worked with other agencies for more effective lobbying efforts. The Mobilization has received the majority
of its funding from the
AIDS
Walkathon and the
AIDS
Dance-a-thon with the remainder coming from individual donations.
Scope and Content of Collection
Both board and staff meeting minutes are included in the administrative records. Besides a number of smaller fundraising
events, their primary event was the Annual
AIDS
Dance-a-thon. This fundraiser, which was held between 1987 and 1996, attracted the endorsement of celebrities such as Madonna,
and provided monies not just to MOB, but to a number of other
AIDS
Organizations such as the San Francisco
AIDS
Foundation and Instituto Familiar de la Raza. Outreach activities and programs ranged from Town Hall meetings to the International
AIDS
Candlelight Vigil, an outreach activity which grew from a local event into a truly worldwide night of commemoration. The
MOB's main activity, however, was working against the early homophobic anti-
AIDS
initiatives, lobbying the government for increased
AIDS
funding, and working for the release of better
AIDS
drugs. The MOB staff and board not only lobbied, but also organized "Lobbying Teams" and "Lobbying Days" to bring ordinary
citizens into the movement and increase the pressure on the politicians. Flyers for events, a MOB button and handkerchief,
along with a few photographs, are also included in the collection.
The Collection is divided into three series: Series 1: Founding, Board, and Administrative Files; Series 2: Fundraising,
Program, and Organizational Files; Series 3: Publicity/Publications/Ephemera.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
AIDS
(Disease)--California--San Francisco
AIDS
(Disease)--Political aspects--United States
AIDS
(Disease)--Research--Government policy
AIDS
(Disease)--Social aspects--California--San Francisco Bay Area
AIDS
activists--United States
Social Action--United States
Mobilization Against
AIDS
(organization)