This 11-minute video shows students the panic and prejudice that surrounded the early epidemic of AIDS during the Reagan administration and how one American teenager became a symbol of resilience in the struggle to gain acceptance, protection, and treatment for AIDS victims. While demonstrating the gains that activists and scientists have made in slowing the virus with new treatments and greater awareness, the video also documents how AIDS continues to disproportionately affect persons of color living in poverty. Including interviews with Dr. Anthony Fauci and other experts, this video helps students see the connection between past and current epidemics, and see how social status affects public health decisions.
AIDS: From Ryan White to Today’s Silent Epidemic
While H.I.V. rates have fallen in many places, the AIDS crisis remains in some of the U.S.
Rates of H.I.V. infection have fallen in many places, but the AIDS crisis persists in some parts of the country. What can be learned from history – and specifically the story of Ryan White?
View full episodes at PBS.org/RetroReport.
For teachers
- Lesson plan 1: Emergence of the AIDS Crisis
- Read transcript
- Book a producer
- Producer: Meral Agish
- Sr. Producer: Kit R. Roane
- Editor: Anne Checler
- Editor: Sandrine Isambert
- Editor: Lila Place
For Educators
Subjects
Topics
Lesson Plan 1: Emergence of the AIDS Crisis