"An Exhortation To A Weary Army"
By Keith Boykin, in sexuality
Sunday, July 16 2006, 2:23AM
It has been 25 years since the war began, and 25 million people have perished. Last year, more than 3 million people died of AIDS. That’s three million coffins, three million eulogies, three million families.
But the war is far from over. Every 10 seconds, someone on the planet dies of AIDS. More than 8,000 people will die today from this disease. Eighteen of them will die before I leave this field.
Many of us here tonight know all too well the toll that AIDS has taken. We have been fighting this war, battle by battle, deep in the trenches, out on the front lines for decades. And we are tired. When we look at the quilt, we are understandably heartbroken, for we see more than names and patches sewn into a fabric; we see the faces of our friends, lovers, brothers, sisters, parents and children.
We have fought the good fight, but we are a weary army in desperate need of comfort and assurance. So as we gather today, we have come to a turning point in this conflict.
The poet Essex Hemphill tells us that he was able to conquer sorrow after the loss of a friend by taking up the cause of that friend. “When my brother fell, I picked up his weapons,” he said.
Like Hemphill, we must pick up the weapons of our sisters and brothers in the struggle. To those who have gone before us, we honor them not by erecting new statues on pedestals, but by finishing the work that they began.
Our ceremony is not only a memorial, but a rededication. Tonight we commit ourselves not just to the legacy of the dead, but also to the hopes of the living. We pledge to be vigilant in this fight until victory is won.
As long as 40 million people on this planet are living with AIDS, we cannot give up. As long as 5 million people are infected with HIV every year, we cannot give up. As long as there is one person living with this virus, we cannot give up. Until there is a cure, there must be a fight.
Make no mistake about it, the cavalry will not come to save us. But this is not the time to wave the white flag of surrender. This is the time to fight back. You see, we are the cavalry. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. This is our moment in history. We have come too far to turn back now, and we are closer to victory than you may realize. So let us march on.
Battle fatigued and war weary, let us march on.
Sometimes beaten but never defeated, let us march on.
Down but not out, let us march on.
In memory of yesterday, let us march on.
With courage for today, let us march on.
With hope for tomorrow, let us march on.
(See the video from the speech.)
Comments conceal
Kareem
July 16 2006, 11:47AM
Thank you for putting your Opening Ceromony speech on your blog. I am here in Chicago just for the Games, but was not able to attend the Opening. My traveling friend was fortunate enough to attend the ceromony. After showing him this blog, he commented on the excellence of your speech. I am so bummed that I was not able to hear you deliver it. Good luck with your event!
Telkemnor
July 16 2006, 12:46PM
Absolutely fantastic.
Steve
July 16 2006, 1:44PM
Too bad our national media completely ignores this event. Maybe one day......
Wakefield
July 16 2006, 11:42PM
Keith - thanks so much for the power, hope and inspirational delivery of truth. Your delivery was electrifying - may there be wide broadcast for those who have been marching and who need to join the fight!
Kenneth Winfrey![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.keithboykin.com/blog2/nav-commenters.gif)
July 17 2006, 12:27AM
As one living with AIDS, I must admit that I am past weary, somewhere closer to bone-tired. Yet, I am still here, and doing quite well, I might add. And as to whom much has been given, much is required. So I still give lots of energy to this war.
The fact that this war has lasted 25 years and that it has continued to take lives tells me something that I didn't really want to hear. It tells me that "safe sex" is not a universal solution. It also tells me that the spread of HIV is not simply about etymology, epidemiology, or pharmacology; it is also a great deal more about psychology, sociology, and even anthropology.
On a more dispassionate and detached level, this all might be seen the same as what happens to a colony of ants when earthmovers come to reshape the land and destroy them. But that's not the same because, in my opinion, human life is special, and it's worth more than all the money in the world, but none of the prejudice and stigma that goes with this disease.
Otis
July 17 2006, 2:17AM
Keith-It was great meeting you at The International Rainbow Memorial Run, the kick off event of the Gay Games. That the event took place on the Southside of Chicago is significant in that Gay Games organizers made an effort to incorporate Black lgbt representation and location. You being the keynote speaker at the Memorial Run and also a featured speaker at the Opening Ceremony contributed greatly to a visible Black presence at the Games.
Your delivery was impressive and walking out unto Soldier Field wearing that headset microphone gave you the image of someone not just giving a speech, but more like a CEO addressing and inspiring his fellow workers. If my Memorial Run photos come out, I’ll be sure to send them.
Ken
July 17 2006, 12:45PM
Keith,
You did a great job. You were passionate and you gave a voice to those who are gone and those who do not speak up out of fear. The Opening Ceremony was an uplifting event. A true milestone in Gay history. The parade of athletes reflected our strength to be recognized as who we are Proud Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender People.
Good luck in your event and thanks again for speaking out to the world.
Ken
W. Terence Cowan
July 18 2006, 8:46AM
Amen and Amen, again. Such beautiful and eloquent words. Mr. Boykin, I was moved by your speech at the Games. I hope you don't mind... I posted your speech in my Blog, http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog/;_ylt=AoihXlR1EAO9Belk0bnfXDe0AOJ3 I hope many brothas and sistas read your words and "take heed". Thank you... Best Wishes.
THOMAS BURNS
July 18 2006, 9:27PM
I WAS A MEMBER OF THE TEAM WHO PLACED THE AIDS MEMORIAL QUILT DURING THE OPENING CEREMONIES OF THE GAY GAMES AND IT TOOK EVERYTHING I HAD IN NOT TO JUST BREAKDOWN CRYING AFTER HEARING YOU SPEAK. I LOST MY BEST FRIEND LAST YEAR TO THIS DISEASE AND I THANK YOU FOR BEING HIS VOICE.
Mark
July 21 2006, 7:54PM
Very powerful. Very, very powerful.
Pierce Dyer
July 27 2006, 5:34PM
Keith, I was more than honored to be your Talent Escort at the Gay Games. Those hours of rehearsing really paid off, and I told you after you walked off the field, and I'll tell you again, despite the difference in our ages and generations, I'm proud of you. Thank you for making the world safer and more informed for the younger generation, the naive generation, MY generation. I hope you have a wonderful day, and once again, thank you. You were amazing. I sang along when Andy Bell performed "Respect", and my heart sang along with you, as well, when you recited your lyrics for the crowd. We rehearsed enough that should you have lost the speech (retrospectively knock on wood), between you and I we could have penned it from memory, and I carry it in my head even now, and I still find myself muttering the prose (as I think of it) under my breath from time to time. Thank you, Keith. You've served as a mentor, an inspiration, and a friend to me.
With love always,
Pierce
www.myspace.com/dyerpie1985
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