A coalition of longstanding AIDS organizations and advocates announces Together We Rise, the third annual free community event to commemorate World AIDS Day, the history of the fight against HIV/AIDS, and the work yet to be done in ending the epidemic.
The coalition of organizations including AIDS Outreach Center Fort Worth, AIDS Walk South Dallas, AIN, A Sister’s Gift, Cathedral of Hope, Dallas Bears, DFW Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, DIFFA Dallas, Firedancers Dallas, Greg Dollenger Memorial AIDS Fund (GDMAF) Inc., Health Services North Texas Denton, Legacy Cares, Miss Gay Texas State Pageant System, Prism Health North Texas, Resource Center, Turtle Creek Chorale, the Women’s Chorus of Dallas, and United Court of Lone Star Empire, invite the public to come together for an evening of community education, entertainment, and remembrance.
The event will be held at Cathedral of Hope at 5910 Cedar Springs Road in Dallas from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Monday, December 1st. Since 1988, communities have gathered each year on December 1, World AIDS Day, to show strength and solidarity against HIV stigma and to remember lives lost. Together We Rise marks the third consecutive year in which dozens of advocates, allies, and organizations are facilitating a community event for Dallasites to honor World AIDS Day and their impacted friends, colleagues, and loved ones.
This year’s program is inspired by comments from Sarah Schulman in her book The Gentrification of the Mind, in which she analyzes the AIDS epidemic in two factions: AIDS of the past and ongoing AIDS in our world today. Moderated by DR Hanson, entrepreneur and community organizer, the keynote panel, ‘How We Heal’ will feature four speakers, two representing the experience of the past and two illustrating the hope of the future.
Dr. Nick Bellos, a Dallas-based infectious disease and internal medicine physician with more than four decades of experience in HIV care including early clinical research for HIV treatment medications, and Portia Cantrell, a retired trauma nurse, member of the Dallas Senior Affairs Commission, and founder of Silver Pride Project, will speak on the work of physicians and nurses at the height of the crisis in the 1980s and 1990s, working to heal the body from an ever-evolving virus amidst a lack of support from the government and most of the general public. Dr. John Carlo, CEO of Prism Health North Texas, and Brian Kennedy, a dedicated LGBTQIA+ affirming Licensed Professional Counselor, will discuss the evolutions of medical treatments, mental health support, and the global goal to end HIV/AIDS by 2030.
The event will open with a blessing by Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, performances by Turtle Creek Chorale and Women’s Chorus of Dallas, and tables represented by participating organizations with education and resource access information. State Representative Venton Jones, District 100, will share remarks honoring the history of the fight against HIV/AIDS in Dallas and hope for the future, including recapping legislative highlights from the 89th Texas Legislature.
“When we talk about HIV/AIDS in our community in 2025, there is a growing divide between younger generations living and thriving with access to PrEP to prevent new HIV infections, and an older generation also thriving but living with the trauma of surviving a plague,” said Hanson. “We hope to bring folks together to discuss how we heal among the hope and freedom of today while also recognizing the trauma of the leaders of our past being neglected by their churches, their families, and their government, and the decimation of a generation who are not here to share this moment with us today.”
“On this World AIDS Day, at a time when federal funding is being cut for HIV prevention efforts, we re-commit to our community’s legacy of fighting for education, research, and effective care and treatment,” said Cece Cox, CEO of Resource Center. “We remain committed to Black and Hispanic communities, which are disproportionately impacted by HIV. At Resource Center, we have recommitted to greater access to prevention and treatment by expanding our capacity with additional providers and facilities. We cannot go backwards on the medical advances to prevent HIV and to help those living with HIV thrive.”
“I have lost 34 friends and three partners to AIDS since 1989, and those losses shaped my understanding of the physical, financial, and emotional toll carried by so many surviving loved ones. After my partner Greg’s death in 1994, we created the Greg Dollgener Memorial AIDS Fund to help people facing urgent needs when every other option had been exhausted,” said David Hearn, Founder of GDMAF, Inc. “That mission was born from witnessing the stress that HIV/AIDS place on individuals who struggle to afford basic necessities for health and stability. Thanks to advances in medicine and mental health care, people are living longer with HIV, and people should be empowered to know their status. We have come a long way, yet there is still work to do, and I hope to see a cure in my lifetime.”
“As Prism Health North Texas approaches its 40th anniversary in 2026, we are reminded that our organization was founded at a time when the HIV and AIDS epidemic was at its peak. This year’s conversation invites us to honor the people who shaped the early response while recognizing the progress that gives us hope for the future,“ said Dr. Carlo. “It is important that we continue to come together as a united community as our shared strength is what makes this work move forward. PHNTX is proud to be part of this coalition, and we remain committed to a future where every person has access to care, support, and the chance to thrive.”
