City By City: World AIDS Day Events

Commemorations, screenings, and other observances are planned for Thursday's World AIDS Day. Here's a small sampling of some of the events to check out -- if you know of a happening in your city or town that's not listed, please add it to our comments board.

Chicago: Chocolate lovers are invited to satisfy their sweet tooth and commemorate World AIDS Day at World of Chocolate, AIDS Foundation of Chicago's 10th annual winter soiree on December 1 at the Hilton Chicago (720 S. Michigan Ave.). At the event, guests are invited to indulge on sweet and savory morsels from more than 30 of Chicago's finest chocolatiers, restaurants, and caterers, while raising funds for the fight against HIV/AIDS. aidschicago.org/chocolate

College Station, Texas: On December 1 at 6:30 p.m. in the Rudder Forum Theatre on the Texas A&M University campus, various campus departments and organizations will be screening the film We Were Here. This award-winning documentary chronicles the 30 years since AIDS was first recognized, taking the viewer on a reflective look back at the arrival and impact of the illness in San Francisco. studentlife.tamu.edu/glbt

Evanston, Ill.: "HIV/AIDS Iin Africa and Beyond: The Story the Media Missed": South African author, journalist, and scholar Jonny Steinberg will speak at Northwestern University at 4 p.m. in the McCormick Tribune Center Forum, 1870 Campus Drive, on the university's Evanston campus. Presented as part of World AIDS Day by Northwestern's Program of African Studies, the event is free and open to the public. northwestern.edu/news

Kingston, N.Y.: Candlelight Walk from Old Dutch Church (272 Wall St.) to Hudson Valley LGBTQ Community Center (300 Wall St.) at 5:30 p.m., followed by a commemoration that includes a living quilt, a reading of names, live music, and refreshments. lgbtqcenter.org

Los Angeles: Bienestar Human Services hosts its annual World AIDS Day observance, "Unidos En Esperanza" (United in Hope), at Church of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels, 535 N. Main Street, from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The event is an ecumenical service in honor of those lost to AIDS. bienestar.org

Los Angeles: HIV activist, motivational speaker, author, and performer Conscious puts on her second L.A. performance of her hit one-woman play, Getting Unstuck, December 1 at the Lillian Theater in Hollywood, 6322 Santa Monica Blvd. Show begins at 7:30 p.m. igotunstuck.org

Los Angeles: 18th Annual Noche de las Memorias event; this year honoring two community visionaries: the late Congressman Edward R. Roybal, who was among the first members of the U.S. Congress to initiate funding for AIDS programs in 1982; and Eddie Martinez, associate director of The Wall-Las Memorias Project, who will be recognized for 15 years of service at the project and fighting AIDS as a grassroots community leader. The event is at The Wall-Las Memorias AIDS Monument (3600 Mission Road) from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. thewallasmemorias.org

New York City: March and rally at 11 a.m. to demand that the wealthiest citizens and Wall Street fund the fight against AIDS at home and abroad through a New York State Millionaires Tax and an international Financial Transaction Tax. March starts at Zuccotti Park at Liberty and Broadway. housingworks.org

Philadelphia: Over 100 faith leaders in Philadelphia will gather from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. December 1 at the Doubletree Hotel (237 S. Broad St.) for a World AIDS Day Prayer Breakfast, sponsored by Philadelphia FIGHT. The purpose of the prayer breakfast is to remember those who have died of AIDS and to encourage faith leaders to include messages about HIV prevention in their work. fight.org

Portland, Ore.: At 5 p.m., Cascade AIDS Project will host a "What's New in HIV" symposium focused on treatment as prevention. Paul Kawata, executive director of the National Minority AIDS Council, will serve as guest lecturer. Space is limited, so all who plan to attend should RSVP to whatsnew@cascadeaids.org or (503) 278-3801. This event is being held at the Mercy Corps Action Center Event Space, 28 S.W. First Ave. Following the Symposium, Hotel Monaco and Vintage Plaza (Kimpton Hotels) host their annual Red Ribbon Party at 7 p.m. to raise awareness and funding. The evening will include drag queen bingo, auction travel packages, and specialty cocktails. cascadeaids.org

Washington, D.C./Online: MTV Staying Alive Foundation will host a World AIDS Day event, "Shuga Talks," in which two simultaneous screenings of the MTV Staying Alive drama Shuga will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, and Washington, D.C., December 1 at 10 a.m. Eastern. Following the screenings, audience members -- those attending in person and watching from home -- will have the opportunity to participate in a live video discussion via satellite and engage with other young people around the world using social media platforms to address key HIV issues highlighted in the show. Go to mtvshuga.com/shugatalks for more information.