HIV Heroes Walk to Better Health
Danny Pintauro to be honored at Whitman-Walker Health's 29th annual Walk to End HIV
Last month, Danny Pintauro came out as HIV-positive. The actor, who, in his youth, portrayed Jonathan in ’80s sitcom Who’s The Boss, also announced his intention to become an HIV activist, with a particular focus on outreach to younger LGBT people.
Whitman-Walker Health will honor Pintauro by presenting him with a Courage Award at the organization’s 29th Annual Walk to End HIV next Saturday, Oct. 24th. Also receiving a Courage Award at this year’s event is Dázon Dixon Diallo, who, in 1989, founded the Atlanta-based SisterLove, Inc., the first women’s HIV/AIDS organization in the southeastern United States.
Both Pintauro and Diallo will take part in the walk, Whitman-Walker’s largest annual public fundraiser, this year organized around a superheroes theme and the tagline “Superheroes Don’t Fly, They Walk to End HIV.” Participants in the 5-kilometer, timed run and walk are encouraged to dress up in superhero garb, with awards and prizes for Best Couple, Best Team, even Best Pet. David Mallory, Director of Annual Giving at Whitman-Walker and lead organizer of the walk, says adopting a theme is one way of trying to keep people — especially younger people — engaged.
“We recognize we’re in competition with a lot of other walks and good causes out there,” Mallory says. “This is an opportunity to hopefully make the event fresher, make it memorable, make it a fun experience.”
Fun certainly wasn’t a motivating factor of the event when it was started nearly three decades ago as the AIDS Walk. Back then, anger, fear and sadness compelled as many as 20,000 people to raise awareness and as much as $1 million to fight a deadly disease ravaging the nation. While “there’s still an element certainly of memorializing folks who have passed,” Mallory says the walk, which last year attracted over 7,000 people and raised $700,000, reflects a far more optimistic era. “We’re at a much more hopeful point where we actually can, through education, through testing and through providing care immediately, reduce HIV infections in this city.” Last year, there were 533 new HIV diagnoses, down by more than half from as recently as 2008. Eventually, as last year’s name change makes plain, the goal is to end HIV — something unthinkable even just a few years ago.
“I think we took a calculated risk with the name change,” says Shawn Jain, Whitman-Walker’s Director of Communications. “Taking a 28-year institution and changing the name, that probably wasn’t the most brilliant move from a pure branding perspective, to be honest. But we did it because we really believe that that term AIDS is so old-fashioned, and so stigmatizing.
“So many people, even when they come in to get tested, still have so many misconceptions about HIV,” Jain continues. “People still talk about the cocktail, or the side effects, as if we’re in 1994. That’s hard to overcome, but I think the language is a really important part of it — especially when we had decades of ‘AIDS equals death’ mantra. I think in order for us to really make progress, we have to talk about it as HIV. As a chronic condition.”
Despite all the changes over the years, Mallory says the walk still attracts “a diverse community that has HIV as one of its priorities,” including representatives from every college and a lot of high schools in the region, as well as corporate groups and LGBT groups. “Seeing so many different types of people just come together for a common effort,” he says, “it’s always inspiring, it’s always uplifting, it’s always encouraging.”
The Walk to End HIV is Saturday, Oct. 24, including entertainment at 8:15 a.m., the timed 5K run at 9:15 a.m. and the walk at 9:20 a.m., all at Freedom Plaza, 14th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW. Registration will start at 7 a.m., or can be done in advance at walktoendhiv.org.
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