Minnelli, Channing, et al. Commemorate World AIDS Day, 12/1

Commemorating World AIDS Day 2010, Liza Minnelli, amfAR Chairman Kenneth Cole, New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Stockard Channing, Tyson Beckford, the Broadway Inspirational Voices choir, and others will lead an event to extinguish the lights on the historic Washington Square Park Memorial Arch to remember those lost to AIDS on December 1, 2010 at 5:30pm. Elsewhere in the city, lights will be turned off on other major landmarks. The event is free and open to the public.

The event is part of the Light for Rights campaign, a global initiative organized by UNAIDS; amfAR; Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS; and the World AIDS Campaign. The campaign, in its second year, showcases the importance of fundamental human rights in the worldwide fight against AIDS.

The New York event will be from 5:30 pm-6:30 pm in Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village. Minnelli, Cole, Quinn, Channing, Beckford, and Carson Kressley will lead the proceedings and will be joined by the Broadway Inspirational Voices choir.

During the event, the lights on the Washington Square Park Memorial Arch will be turned off and then re-illuminated as the speakers discuss the importance of emphasizing human rights when confronting the AIDS pandemic.

Elsewhere in New York, the marquee lights on many New York City landmarks will be extinguished as part of the campaign. Participating venues include the Brooklyn Bridge; the New York Stock Exchange; the Plaza Hotel; Madison Square Garden; Carnegie Hall; Museum of Modern Art; the Beacon Theatre; Jim Campbell's Madison Square Park's art installation Scattered Light

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos