Barbra, Live: The APLA Honors Hillary Clinton
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Our
On-the Scene Reports
In January 1994, I
attended the annual APLA benefit at Universal City in Hollywood. The
evening's honoree was First Lady Hillary Clinton. Barbra was on hand
to present Mrs. Clinton with an award for her work on the AIDS
awareness front. Barbra did not perform, but her comments about past
Washington indifference towards the epidemic made front page
headlines around the world.
A Crisis
of Indifference
(Jan 18, 1994) - I headed back to Los Angeles for the next APLA
concert and benefit last night. This time, Barbra was to appear
as a non-singing participant, on hand to present friend and honoree
Hillary Clinton with the year's APLA award. Barbra, in her
introductory remarks, kindled the flames of controversy yet again.
Referring to pre-Clinton presidential ignorance towards the AIDS
crisis, Barbra said, "For more than a decade, the reliance of our
Presidents on selfish individualism led us into the wasteland of
official indifference to the suffering of many. One stark result
of that politics of contempt and neglect is that millions are now
afflicted by the AIDS epidemic which might have been contained if only
our high officials had cared."
The lighter portion of the evening was the concert. Despite
Barbra's absence from the performing line-up, stellar performances by
the likes of Sarah Brightman, Patti LuPone, Jennifer Holliday and
Melissa Manchester helped raise a record $4.9 million for AIDS Project
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