In dining halls, fortune cookies were distributed to increase AIDS awareness. The messages in the cookies offered chilling caveats: "I don't want to watch you die," and "Don't be sure you won't get it."
The Harvard AIDS Institute, in observance of the day, recognized Elizabeth Glaser with its third annual AIDS Leadership Award. Glaser, who contracted HIV in a blood transfusion while giving birth to her first child, was a co-founder of the Pediatric AIDS Foundation.
The institute also presented its first-ever AIDS Awareness Award to Kathy Mattea, a Grammy-award-winning country singer.
Events will continue through the middle of next week. The School of Public Health will sponsor safe-sex workshops tomorrow. And several individuals will speak next week on issues concerning HIV.
Still, AIDS activists warned against the failure to take action.
"Education alone is not enough," Florence told the audience.