World AIDS Day will mark its 34th year Thursday and San Francisco is honoring the solemn occasion.

Dignitaries, guests and the public are invited to attend the observance at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

At 1 p.m, the traditional reading of names lost to AIDS will take place.

Organizers say they have planned three powerful presentations for the event, moderated by ABC7’s Reggie Aqui and Michelle Meow from the Commonwealth Club. The presentations include “Reflections with Cleve Jones and 35 Years of the Quilt,” “The State of the Epidemic Today with Leaders from the Frontlines,” and “Young Leaders Making an Impact.”

A visitor reflects at the memorial grove during the 2021 Light in the Grove event at the National AIDS Memorial in Golden Gate Park. (Image courtesy of National AIDS Memorial/YouTube)

Cleve Jones, founder of the AIDS Memorial Quilt, will attend, along with Dr. Diane Havlir, chief of HIV infectious diseases for UCSF, Tyler TerMeer from the SF AIDS Foundation, soprano vocalist Breanna Sinclaire, and National AIDS Memorial CEO John Cunningham. Mayor London Breed has also been invited.

According to the World Health Organization, since the AIDS crisis began, 84.2 million people worldwide have been infected with HIV and 40.1 million have died.

San Francisco’s HIV rates ticked up in 2021, according to the city’s Department of Public Health. There was a 16 percent increase in infections, with 160 HIV diagnoses in 2021 versus 131 in 2020.

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.