Paul Farmer, founder of Partners in Health, talks about getting involved
Conversation Archive
Take a look at these photos that illustrate moments in global health history, and see what others had to say about them.
A Model for the World:
In 1948 the South African government introduced apartheid, (literally "separateness" in Afrikaans),
a legal system of racial segregation enforced until 1994. This photograph shows nurses protesting apartheid and the segregation of their profession in 1958.
In Challenging Times:
Responding to the Hurricane Katrina in 2005, a Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) from San Diego
set up a temporary clinic in Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to prepare people for evacuation.
Fighting Discrimination:
On May 21, 1990 AIDS activist group ACT UP "stormed the NIH" to protest the slow pace of research.
The AIDS Memorial Quilt:
Activist Cleve Jones began The AIDS Memorial Quilt in 1987. 1,920 panels were first displayed in the
nation's capital during the National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights in 1987, to highlight the scale of the epidemic. By 2007, the Quilt
included more than 46,000 panels representing over 80,000 people and it continues to grow.
A Deadly Legacy:
Jody Williams coordinated the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which won the Nobel Peace Prize
in 1997. She has participated in events all over the world to protest landmines and has risked arrest to express her opposition to war.
A Bridge for Peace:
In 1985, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) launched a campaign to eradicate polio from the Americas.
At the time, Central Americans faced major health problems due to ongoing conflict in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Nicaragua. PAHO worked with government leaders, combatants, and local organizations to
cease hostilities to allow for immunization campaigns.