ACT-UP is an international advocacy group working to impact the lives of individuals with AIDS to bring about legislation, medical research and treatment and policies to ultimately bring an end to the disease. The group has been known to enter into areas defined as “sacred spaces” to carry out their messages to the public. As shown in class, the sacred spaces included City Hall, the White House, and St.Patricks Church. The motive behind utilizing these sacred spaces was to generate any form of attraction to their cause from the biggest audiences. The effectiveness of such actions, however, in my opinion, is a little obscured. The protests and gatherings in City Hall, appeared to be effective because the space they were in permitted for voices to be heard and government officials to hear. Moreover, in a place like the White House, the area is a public area where any human being has rights to walk, run, protest etc. Therefore, I do believe that using the White House front lawn as a sacred space was effective because such a prominent building was challenged by a group that is being betrayed by the people who run that building. An image like that in the public’s mind put the AIDS epidemic into perspective for people who are part of ACT-UP but also bystanders. However, I believe the use of the church as a sacred space was ineffective. As seen in the video, there was a service being carried out and the groups stormed in and began shouting, interrupting what was going on. In my opinion, no matter what group you are advocating for or the cause, there must be respect to what is actually sacred. Also, I believe that because it was in a church, the group pushed people away and intensified the conflicts between the church and the organization.
The movements for police brutality and criminal justice can learn from ACT-UP because their methods of protesting did change the dynamic of the problem. The movements should push towards educating the ignorant and finding areas where they can truly reach their surroundings and ignite real change.
Sarah Shafik
