West Hollywood Park will be the stepping off point once again for AIDS Walk Los Angeles. (photo courtesy of Craig Miller, MZA Events archives)

AIDS Walk Los Angeles marks its 40th anniversary in West Hollywood on Oct. 13. This year the theme is “We’re Not Walking Back,” as the organization recognizes the decades of progress in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

The day-long activities, which will be centered in West Hollywood Park, will feature live entertainment and speeches from dignitaries, in addition to the signature walk down Santa Monica Boulevard.

The first walk was held in 1985, helping to raise awareness about the then-new HIV/AIDS epidemic. The walk, organized by APLA Health, has grown to one of the largest fundraisers for HIV/AIDS research annually. It has raised close to $100 million to combat the virus in total. The funds, including those that will be raised for this year’s event, support APLA Health’s services, which have grown to include specialty care for patients, sexual health services, housing, food and support services. Approximately 19,000 clients receive care from APLA each year in Los Angeles County.

Craig Bowers serves as APLA Health’s’ chief marketing and external affairs officer. He said that other partnering organizations benefit from the walk, as well.

“AIDS Walk isn’t just exclusively a fundraiser for APLA Health,” Bowers said. “We also allow community groups in the HIV and AIDS to [be] sponsors, as well.”

Among those organizations is Being Alive, which offers low-to-no cost mental health programs and just opened a new harm reduction center on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.

“They really raise a lot of funds for their organization through their participation,” Bowers said.

He said that at this year’s event, APLA Health plans to acknowledge the people who helped start AIDS Walk. Popular drag queens like Salina EsTitties from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will help add to the festive spirit. But while there is much to celebrate in the advancements HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention in recent years, Bowers stressed that there is still much work to be done.

“If you look at [those] newly infected with HIV – on average, it’s about 1,200 people a year in L.A. County – the majority of those people are Black and brown. I would say something like 70%,” he said. “So, then we ask ourselves, ‘What is it about our system of care that’s not doing as good a job as what we’re seeing in other parts of the community?’’

Bowers added that while it’s “not necessarily a bad thing” that HIV/AIDS is not on people’s radar the way it was 20 years ago, with the medical advancements comes “a little of complacency.”

“It really breaks my heart when you see young people acquire the disease, and it’s because they don’t really know what the disease [was]. And so the boogeyman factor isn’t as effective as it was when I was a teenager growing up in Atlanta,” he said. “We have to acknowledge that, and we have to pass down these stories.”

Bowers said that APLA Health has had a partner in the state of California, which he professed “has done an incredible job of moving many people into Medicaid.” He also expressed pride in APLA Health’s work in helping fight against the social determinants that can come from living with HIV/AIDS – particularly with the organization’s Alliance for Housing and Healing.

“We’re the largest provider of housing for people with HIV in L.A. County,” Bowers said, adding that programs also help with food insecurities and provide other basic needs.

He encouraged people to RSVP or just show up on Sunday.

“This is really about community and coming together around this particular cause,” Bowers said. “We just want people to come together, share in this history, get inspired about what we can do looking forward. You can help us fundraise as an individual. You can fundraise amongst a group of friends as a team. You can fundraise with your corporation. However you feel comfortable participating in the event. We welcome everyone to participate in a way that most resonates.”

The event begins at 10 a.m. on Oct. 13. For information and to register, visit aidswalkla.org. West Hollywood Park is located at 647 N. San Vicente Blvd.