To memorialize those lost in the struggle against HIV/AIDS, three archives have been constructed in Los Angeles and San Francisco, collecting hundreds of thousands of documents that form a history of the epidemic in California and across the country, the Los Angeles Times reports (latimes.com, 1/2).

According to the Times story, the collections are currently on display at the ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives in Los Angeles, the University of California San Francisco’s library and the Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Historical Society in San Francisco. The exhibitions showcase photos, paraphernalia and documents such as safe-sex pamphlets from the early days of HIV/AIDS, prevention posters, old copies of satirical AIDS magazine Diseased Pariah News, pharmacy receipts and medical bills for HIV medications and even more personal items, such as diaries and letters.

In a 1985 letter, a mother writes to her HIV-positive son, “Am I worrying too much about this AIDS problem? If you can alleviate any of my fears about the disease, please do.”