AIDS activists

The collection contains materials related to Bill Rydwels’ personal life, especially related to his HIV/AIDS work and activism. Contents include articles, awards, business cards, certificates, emails, fliers, legal documents, letters, magazines, newspapers, pamphlets, photos, programs, a tote bag, and a trophy.

Bruce Johnson’s collection is comprised of research papers from his master’s thesis at Northwestern, notes from early ACT-UP precursor meetings, civil disobedience ACT-UP files for a 1989 demonstration, ACT-UP ephemera including stickers and posters, and HIV-related education materials and periodicals. His collection also has some scattered inclusions of materials from the leather community in the late-80s, early-90s.

Papers include membership lists, a section of membership meeting notes, and volunteer information sheets for the Chicago chapter of the NAMES Project. Also included are sign-up sheets for C-FAR and various AIDS-related articles, pamphlets, etc.