Oct 11, 1992-1992
United States of America
First The Ashes Action – Throwing Ashes on the White House Lawn
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ACTIVISTS/ACT.GROUPS/DESCRIPTION OF THE GROUP
The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP); David Reid
TARGET
Government of the United States; President George H.W. Bush
WIDELY HELD BELIEF
The government needs to take seriously the AIDS crisis and provide help, rather than ignore the plights of the people.
CASE NARRATIVE
Issue and opponent: AIDS activists said that the George Bush administration did too little to fight the deadly disease, keeping the prices of medicines too high and not giving effective medical care. Though Bush acknowledged AIDS in the early years of his presidency, he cut funding for AIDS research and refused to support safer sex education in public schools. ACT UP, AIDS Coalition to Unleash the Power, an activist group that addressed the AIDS crisis of the 1980s-1990s, put out a national call for anyone with the ashes of those who had died from AIDS to join them. Dilemma Action: In October 1992, before the presidential elections, protesters, inspired by David Robinson and David Wojnarowicz, timed a march to the White House in connection with displays of the AIDS memorial quilt, a piece inscribed with the names of people who have died as a result of the disease. With police lines inside and outside of the fence, protesters sprinkled cremated remains of people who died of AIDS inside the White House gate; on the opposite side of the White House, police pushed protesters back, with some flinging ashes and fake blood against the fence. They had drums play a funeral cadence while they spread the ashes. Outcome: A police officer on the scene said there were no arrests. This activity set a precedent for people to be able to say goodbye to AIDS victims without being ashamed of their condition.
PRIMARY STRUGGLE/GOAL
NONVIOLENT TACTICS USED
DA TACTICS USED
Delivering symbolic objects
CASE NARRATIVE WRITER
SUCCESS METRICS
9 / 12
(EREP) Dilemma action got replicated by other movements
(MC) Media Coverage
(MSYMP) Media coverage was sympathetic to the activists
(OR) Opponent response
(PS) Dilemma action built sympathy with the public
(PUN) Punishment favored the activists
(REFR) Dilemma action reframed the narrative of the opponent
(RF) Dilemma action reduced fear and/or apathy among the activists
(SA) Dilemma action appealed to a broad segment of the public
PART OF A LARGER CAMPAIGN
3 / 3
Activist group continued working together after the action
Encouraged more participants to join the movement
Internally replicated by the same movement
RESOURCES
Project documentation
Dilemma Actions Coding Guidebook
Case study documentation
Dilemma_Actions_Analysis_Dataset
SOURCES
Babington, Charles. 1992. “AIDS ACTIVISTS THROW ASHES AT WHITE HOUSE,” The Washington Post, October 12. Retrieved July 21, 2023. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1992/10/12/aids-activists-throw-ashes-at-white-house/7a9c53e0-413f-449f-8dd1-a2804d6695ec/).
DIVA TV. 1992. “Flyer announcing the 1992 Ashes Action,” Retrieved July 21, 2023. (https://actupny.org/diva/synAshes.html).
Lovannone, Jeffry. 2018. “George H.W. Bush and the ACT UP Ashes Action,” Medium, December 8. Retrieved July 21, 2023. (https://medium.com/queer-history-for-the-people/george-h-w-bush-and-the-act-up-ashes-action-eb9e5e4c7779).
Silverstein. Jason. “Why the Ashes of People With AIDS on the White House Lawn Matter,” VICE, August 29. Retrieved July 21, 2023. (https://www.vice.com/en/article/vdqv34/why-the-ashes-of-aids-victims-on-the-white-house-lawn-matter).
Cooper, Alex. 2021. “Here’s the True Story Behind Pose’s Powerful Finale Protest: As the series often does, they sourced a real-life ACT UP action,” Plus, June 8. Retrieved July 21, 2023. (https://www.hivplusmag.com/entertainment/2021/6/08/pose-finale-ashes-protest-lawn-act-up-inspiration-real-life-true).
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