Russell E. Thornhill, EdD teaching faculty in Undergraduate Studies at Antioch University and co-director of the Bridge Program, served as chairperson for the World AIDS Day event at the Minority AIDS Project (MAP), where he also serves as Board Secretary. MAP welcomed clients, staff, and community leaders for this annual gathering, which honored the organization’s 40 years of service to Los Angeles. Mayor Karen Bass delivered the keynote address, joined by Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Los Angeles County Second District Supervisor Holly Mitchell, and members of the Los Angeles City Council.
As former CEO of MAP, Thornhill opened the event by recalling the early years of the AIDS pandemic, when Black and Brown communities faced both devastating loss and institutional silence—a pattern he warned continues today as HIV/AIDS disparities persist. Reflecting the legacy of MAP’s founder, the late Archbishop Carl Bean, speakers underscored that HIV/AIDS is far from over: Los Angeles County reports more than 59,000 residents living with diagnosed HIV, and nationally, an estimated 1.2 million people are living with HIV, many still unaware of their status. The event reaffirmed the vital role of World AIDS Day in sustaining advocacy, preventing new infections, and advancing equitable access to care.
