On September 9, 1995, at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, a maximum security prison for women in upstate New York, the ACE (AIDS Counseling and Education) program held its third annual AIDS Walkathon. Over 250 participants marched, including inmates, staff and civilians. The previous year the Walkathon raised over $4,000, with proceeds benefiting the ACE program itself as well as other outside organizations. This year,s Walkathon will benefit the Incarnation Children,s Center, a home-like residence for infants and young children living with AIDS, the IPC/Bedford Hills Infirmary, and the ACE Program.
Newsline was invited to attend the event, and we decided to share our impressions as well as to ask the Walkathon participants what the day meant to them.
After passing through the long security process, we made our way into the compound. Walking along the paths that lead us up to the grounds where the Walkathon would be held, our escort pointed out a section of a building that was fenced off from the attached structures. "Death Row,o/oo she said, and we were then informed that in the weeks since New York state had passed the death penalty, a death row was planned and built at exactly the same time as women living with AIDS were planning this Walkathon. The irony was almost unbearable.
The Walkathon was set inside a large yard, surrounded by buildings that house the women as well as the ACE office. Circling the yard was a high fence, decorated with quilts, ribbons and other materials the women had used to express their dedication to the cause and their grief for those who had died.
Walkathon participants, many bearing numbered placards decorated with the names of loved ones lost and those still living, walked the circular path of the courtyard from 12noon-5pm. Many of the women were sponsored to walk by correctional staff and civilians.
Music was played all day long, and many of the women danced, embraced each other and generally shared some togetherness.
At one point, the music, dancing, and walking stopped to allow for a moment of silence to honor all those lost to AIDS. Then a reading of names began. As all the names were read, many of the women held each other, some sat with their heads down and some cried.
These rituals ~ the names reading, the quilt memorials, the red ribbons, and even the walkathons ~ have lost some of their impact for many of us on the outside.
Yet on this fall day, in a maximum security prison in upstate New York, never have these rituals meant so much. The women of ACE understand the significance of such ceremonies and the need for a community to express itself in a way that is real, inclusive and pro-active.
And a real, inclusive and pro-active community of women living with AIDS under the yoke of incarceration and in the shadow of a deasth row, supporting each other and giving something back, is what we found.
This day means a lot to me. People are here today marching for the sick and I,m not well.
I,m dying of AIDS and I lost my husband a year ago. I,m here to help the cause and the children. You get strength from the inside because you feel a sense of support. By breaking the silence, one voice can create more and then you form a unity.
This event dispels the myths and stereotypes about women in prison. It,s a very supportive thing. It would not happen without the superintendent. Everyone seems to be supportive of it. In a prison with a death row being built, women still do this. They do this in spite of the apathy. It,s a celebration of women,s liberties even if they are incarcerated. These women nurse each other back to health, and to see that interaction is amazing. One thing I do want to stress is that this day is not about me as a coordinator, this is about them.
I,m here supporting my friend Scooby. I try to make sure she takes her medications and I take care of her when she is ill. I,ve been here for 9 years, and I,ve been here for others when they are sick. It,s very hard when they die.
To me this day is about listening to all the names and remembering those who have passed.
I,ve been working in this facility for eleven years. A lot of my friends have died from AIDS. Every year I donate money to the Walkathon and sponsor the women to walk.
I am an organizer of this event and worked hard getting it together. I have lost my son, my daughter, and my grandson, as well as a lot of friends, both inside and outside. It felt good to be a part of it and it means a lot to me.
I,ve been here for over a decade. In the beginning AIDS was defined by fear, isolation and poor care. It,s gotten worse but now we are starting to build a supportive community. We do education and, by donating money to Incarnation Children,s Center, we can create an opportunity for women to give something back versus it just being about punishment.
I have lost many friends to AIDS. I used to be an AIDS counselor, now I just support others.
This is a community of women who have suffered. So many people have lost people to AIDS, even today. This is a way for people to express their grief. The staff is extremely supportive, with the officers, the administration and the civilian employee sponsoring women and giving money. With some of the money raised going to the Children,s Center, it,s a way for people to give. The Walkathon is a vehicle, a way for these women to have some power. This combination of working together is a very strong thing to feel.
ACE is well established as the first and largest provider of specialized, comprehensive, inmate-based service for people living with AIDS/HIV in the system of corrections. Advocating for the interests of people living with AIDS/HIV since its inception in 1985, ACE embodies an extraordinary degree of experience and expertise in the planning and provision of service for inmates living with AIDS/HIV, affected inmates, their families and the civilian staff. ACE is an inmate-run, inmate-designed and inmate-facilitated program.
ACE includes 12 full-time staff and 70 members, including one civilian. Services provided include advocacy, a buddy program, case management, client education, crisis intervention, drug/alcohol counseling, domestic violence counseling, individual counseling, supportive services for families, friends and loved ones, pre- and post-test counseling, support groups, a quilt project, a drama group, a newsletter, video development, memorial services and much, much more.
ACE is in the process of redeveloping a program that will provide a support system for women who leave not only Bedford but other facilities as well. In the spirit of Katrina Haslip (one of ACE,s founders and a fierce AIDS activist who died several years ago) and with the leadership of recently freed co-founders and members of ACE, they are attempting to review and renew.
For more information, or to offer donations, please contact ACE at 247 Harris Road, Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, Bedford, NY 10507.
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