The ARC/AIDS Vigil began on October 27, 1985, when Steve Russell and Bert Franks chained themselves to the Federal Building on United Nations Plaza in San Francisco. The group was protesting the government's inactivity in respect to the AIDS crisis. This collection consists of records, notebooks and photographs documenting the first several years of this continual protest vigil.

The ARC/AIDS Vigil began on October 27, 1985, when Steve Russell and Bert Franks chained themselves to the Federal Building on United Nations Plaza in San Francisco. A group of supporters gathered to protest the government's inactivity in respect to the AIDS crisis. Thereafter a dedicated group of vigil "family members" maintained the vigil site for twenty-four hours a day every day for the next several years. These men and women slept in tents or on the floor (or on an outdoor bed that blocked the doors of the federal building) and staffed a table that provided educational information and support to the community. They cooked in a well-equipped kitchen under a tarp, and celebrated holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas with outdoor banquets.

4.25 Linear Feet 5 manuscript boxes, 1 carton, and 1 oversized box

Copyright to unpublished manuscript materials has been transferred to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society.