The Quilt and Status of the Epidemic Today
With the internet being able to have the quilt in a whole place; researchers, and the public will be able to make it as an archive. As an archive for the public and research it was also made into an inspired an award-winning documentary named Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, that was based upon the quilt which also inspired other new quilts. Including the Breast Cancer Quilt and projects commemorating the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
The AIDS memorial Quilt stands as an inspiration and a shining example of how a Public History Project can help defeat negative stigmas and move society foward toward a time where we can talk about sensitive issues and remember those we have lost to the disease.
The Americans with Disabilties Act, which is still active today, stands as an example of the power of the quilt and the ability to make issues come to light despite negative public opinions of the issue. The Americans with Disabilities Act bars those with medical diseases, like HIV and therefore AIDS, from being descriminated against in any public affair or setting. This is an example of how the US government has taken inspiration from the quilt, and decided to tackle an issue that many people originally wrote off as a curse from God for people's bad actions. Legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act shows the quilt's impact, and how the public view of HIV/AIDS has changed over time, to a view that is much more supporting and caring towards those with the disease.