Wednesday, October 21, 2026
5:00 PM - 6:15 PM
5:00 PM - 6:15 PM See all dates and Times
Virtual Event
Wednesday, October 21, 2026 5:00 PM - 6:15 PM EDT
Antoine S. Johnson, University of California, Davis
Comment: Nic John Ramos, University of Texas at Austin
This event is virtual.
Register to attend this event online
This paper explores Dr. Calu Lester’s contributions to AIDS awareness, prevention, and outreach by highlighting his organizations, those for which he volunteered, and the mental and physical toll the epidemic had on poor- and working-class African Americans. As a mental health expert, Dr. Lester emphasized how psychological issues can lead to physical ones. With a growing literature on AIDS activism, he remains relegated to the margins. This paper highlights his role in multiple organizations, many of which he founded, and contextualizes it within the larger Black AIDS struggle in the Bay Area.
Join the conversation at the African American History Seminar.
Seminars bring together a diverse group of scholars and interested members of the public to workshop a pre-circulated paper. Learn more.
Purchasing the $25 seminar subscription gives you advance access to the seminar papers of all seven seminar series for the current academic year. Subscribe at www.masshist.org/research/seminars. Subscribers for the current year may login to view currently available essays.
The virtual seminar begins at 5:00 PM and will be hosted on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive a confirmation message with attendance information.
If you have any questions about the program or accessibility needs, please contact Cassie Cloutier at [email protected].
