A red and white glow emanated from the Old Union Courtyard last night — not for the ongoing Big Game Week celebrations, but for another, more serious cause: Aids Awareness Week 2007.

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Red and white paper bags were lit with candles in the Old Union Courtyard last night to commemorate both those who have received treatment for AIDS and those who have died of it. #gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/8263
Masaru Oka

Red and white paper bags were lit with candles in the Old Union Courtyard last night to commemorate both those who have received treatment for AIDS and those who have died of it.

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Joseph Kautz, an academic technology staff member, publicly acknowledged for the first time his 10-year-old diagnosis as HIV-positive at last night’s vigil. Kautz said he no longer wants to be a victim. #gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/8264
Masaru Oka

Joseph Kautz, an academic technology staff member, publicly acknowledged for the first time his 10-year-old diagnosis as HIV-positive at last night’s vigil. Kautz said he no longer wants to be a victim.

Lit candles in red paper bags lined the courtyard sidewalks as participants at last night’s FACE AIDS Commemoration Vigil named those in Africa who have received treatment thanks to fundraising efforts. But alongside the red lights for those fighting the disease were ones in white, remembering the many more who did not receive treatment and have passed away.

World Aids Day 2007 Coordinator Enumale Agada ‘10 described the vigil as a realization of the issues, and specifically people, at the heart of the many Aids Awareness Week activities this year.

Last night’s commemoration attracted a crowd of over 50 students and featured performances by the Spoken Word Collective, Kuumba and Talisman.

In addition, two speakers addressed the crowd of students concerned with the worldwide AIDS epidemic. Bringing it closer to home, however, was academic technology staff member Joseph Kautz. Ten years after finding out he was HIV-positive, Kautz publicly acknowledged his personal battle for the first time last night. Describing the 10-year period as one in which he had yellow caution tape wrapped around him, Kautz said he no longer wanted to be a victim of the disease.

“It was amazing to have him come speak and share something so personal, especially since it was his first time publicly acknowledging it,” Agada said, commending Kautz’s courage in speaking. “I know I at least got really emotional about it, hearing his experience.”

Kautz was joined by Kimeli Naiyomah, a master’s student in Biology. Naiyomah left his home in Kenya, having known a woman there who lived with AIDS. When she died of the disease, Naiyomah adopted her four children. At last night’s vigil, Naiyomah related the experience, showing how the disease hits home for many in Africa, the U.S. and other parts of the world.

Agada said this very point was much of the focus for this week’s Aids Awareness events, which included tabling each day in White Plaza and an academic forum on Tuesday night. The vigil in particular, especially because of its speakers, brought the AIDS cause closer to students on the Stanford campus.

“Often we focus on HIV/AIDS as something so far away in Africa,” Agada said. “To have someone here at Stanford like Joseph Kautz come forward is a big deal. It brought people closer to the subject and put a face on the disease when he spoke.”

Aids Awareness Week continues today with tabling again in White Plaza as various student cultural organizations represent “AIDS Around the World.” This evening at 6 p.m., the Stanford African Students Association will have a “Unity in Brokenness: Breaking the harsh cycle between hunger and HIV/AIDS” refugee dinner at Bechtel International Center.

No official events are planned for tomorrow, World AIDS Day itself, because of Big Game. However, Sunday will wrap up the week with a commemoration concert in Memorial Church, beginning at 1:30 p.m. There will also be a 6:30 p.m. remembrance service hosted by the Office for Religious Life at The CIRCLE in Old Union.

At the conclusion of this weekend’s events, Agada hopes that students will take away a better understanding of the AIDS issue and its impact on people all around the world — even right next to them.

“It’s a lot closer than we think, and it’s something that people are dealing with every day,” she said. “The person next to you from an African country, or anywhere for that matter, may have a mother, aunt or uncle, brother or sister, etc. living with AIDS. It’s a big problem that’s not isolated or distant. Recognizing that is part of just being a person."