History of the United States II / Unit 16 USH2 2269 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Silence Equals Death
Captions available
The idea
In nineteen eighty-five the actor Rock Hudson announced his AIDS diagnosis, and in nineteen eighty-seven activists in New York founded ACT UP.
In practice
A pink triangle above the words Silence equals death, which the anchor says became the crisis's symbol.
Where people slip
In nineteen eighty-seven Reagan convened a commission on AIDS, the Yawp records; research spending reached a quarter of what experts advised.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Builds on
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for History of the United States II