Forty-five years after the first reported AIDS cases appeared in a federal public health report, healthcare advocates and LGBTQ+ leaders held a candlelight vigil to argue that lessons from the AIDS epidemic remain relevant as federal healthcare cuts threaten access to care for millions of Americans.
The June 5 gathering at Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., was part of Seven Days in June: HEALTH IS PRIMARY, a nationwide week of action highlighting the potential consequences of more than $1 trillion in federal healthcare funding cuts. Organizers intentionally scheduled the event on the anniversary of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) first report acknowledging what would later become known as the AIDS epidemic.
“The AIDS crisis taught us that when healthcare systems fail, people die,” said Jeff Berry, co-founder and CEO of the Reunion Project, who co-emceed the vigil. “When prevention and treatment are delayed, people die. When stigma and indifference shape public policy, people die.”
Organizers said the urgency stems from the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed by Congressional Republicans in July 2025. The law is expected to leave more than 15 million Americans without health insurance and place nearly 450 hospitals in 44 states at risk of reducing services or closing altogether.
The legislation marked the largest cut to federal health spending in U.S. history while also providing tax cuts for billionaires and allocating more than $170 billion for expanded immigration enforcement.
Several speakers noted that many of the law’s healthcare reductions are scheduled to take effect after the 2026 primary season, making upcoming elections a central focus of the Seven Days in June campaign.
“These Seven Days in June are not about one party or one candidate,” said Mary Morten, founder and president of Morten Group, which helped organize the Chicago area’s participation in the effort. “They are about making sure every person in office and every person running for office in every primary, in every state, knows that voters are watching.”
For many attendees, the anniversary of the AIDS epidemic served as a reminder of the consequences of government inaction during a public health crisis.
Timothy Jackson, senior director of policy and advocacy at AIDS Foundation Chicago, said the history of the AIDS epidemic offers lessons not only about the dangers of government inaction, but also the power of collective action.
“Community is what strengthened us in the earliest days of the epidemic,” Jackson said. “Community is what steadied us through the stages of the early treatment options that were more like mirages in a vast desert.”
While HIV advocates played a prominent role in the vigil, speakers repeatedly emphasized that the consequences of healthcare cuts would extend far beyond LGBTQ+ communities and people living with HIV.
Representatives from disability rights organizations, reproductive justice groups, healthcare unions and racial health equity organizations described how cuts to Medicaid and other federal programs could affect everything from home care services and cancer screenings to abortion access and maternal health outcomes.
Ryan McGraw of Access Living said Medicaid funds services that allow many people with disabilities to live independently rather than in institutions, while Equal Hope CEO Paris Thomas warned that coverage losses could cause more people to delay cancer screenings and preventative care.
Mayor Brandon Johnson echoed many of those concerns, warning that federal healthcare cuts could have far-reaching consequences for Illinois residents. He said between 270,000 and 500,000 Illinois residents could lose Medicaid coverage under the law and that the state could lose billions of dollars in healthcare funding.
“Healthcare cuts cost lives,” Johnson said. “And we are already seeing the consequences in communities that have long been pushed to the margins.”
The event’s speakers repeatedly emphasized that the consequences of healthcare cuts would not be limited to any single community.
John Bartman, a farmer from Marengo, described how his mother waited nearly four months to see a rheumatologist before being diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease that severely damaged her lungs.
Bartman said the shortage of healthcare providers and the strain on rural healthcare systems transformed him from a full-time farmer into a caregiver responsible for helping his mother with daily tasks.
“My story is the same as millions of other Americans,” Bartman said. “America deserves a world-class health system.”
The vigil was originally scheduled to take place at AIDS Garden Chicago along the lakefront but was moved to Center on Halsted because of rain. Throughout the evening, attendees held LED candles while members of Singing Resistance led songs and call-and-response chants.
Morten said the stories shared throughout the evening reflected the real-world consequences of healthcare policy decisions and the importance of holding elected officials accountable for them.
“Voters are watching,” Morten said.
