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Pedro Zamora}’s portrait

Pedro Zamora

  • 22 years old
  • Male
  • Born Feb 29, 1972
  • Died Nov 11, 1994
  • United States
was a Cuban-American HIV-positive AIDS educator who became famous for his activism, testimony before Congress, and his appearance on Real World. U.S. President Clinton credited Zamora with personalizing and humanizing those with the disease.
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About

Legacy

After his death, Zamora was publicly praised by President Bill Clinton and Donna Shalala for his leadership and work in educating high school students, saying that through his appearances on The Real World, Pedro had become a part of viewers’ families, and that all people who watched the show could now say that they “knew” someone who had lived with AIDS.

MTV broadcast A Tribute to Pedro Zamora, a special memorial program, in his honor.

A street in Miami (SW 59th Street) was given the name "Pedro Zamora Way", although it is not in Hialeah, where he lived. Howard D. McMillan Middle School is located on that street where he did a presentation on HIV and AIDS. The school is located in Kendall, a suburb of Miami, Florida.

A number of organizations were created in Pedro's name, including:

    * The National Pedro Zamora Project (founded by Winick, Ling, Mily, and Sasser on October 21, 1994)
    * The Pedro Zamora Foundation
    * The National Pedro Zamora Project
    * The Pedro Zamora Memorial Fund (Sponsored by the AIDS Action Foundation)
    * The Pedro Zamora Youth Clinic
    * The Pedro Zamora Public Policy Fellowship
    * Pedro Zamora Youth HIV Clinic (Los Angeles)

Winick continued lecturing on behalf of Pedro, speaking at over 70 schools across the United States throughout 1995, before time constraints forced him to stop, but his friendship with Zamora helped shape his subsequent work as a comic book writer and artist. His autobiographical graphic novel, Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss, and What I Learned, was published in September 2000. It was awarded and nominated for numerous awards, including six American Library Association awards, a nomination for an Eisner Award, won Winick his first GLAAD award, has been praised by creators such as Frank Miller, Neil Gaiman, and Armistead Maupin, and has been incorporated into school curricula across the country. Winick's experiences with Pedro would also help shape his work in mainstream superhero comics, which would receive considerable media attention for storylines in Green Lantern and Green Arrow which explored gay or AIDS-related themes.

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Memories

A message from Dublin, ireland

Sinead Dublin Ireland Dec 30, 2012

My name is Sinead. I was 16 years old when I first saw MTV the Real World, I am now 34. My sister was 15. I just want to say how far Pedro's message spread and how much he touched our lives. 18 years later, I never forgot just how brave, fearless, kind warm and selfless he really was. Both me and my sister learned so much from you Pedro not just about AIDS and how a person is living with any illness and not dying. As a result of your education, we both have raised money for AIDS foundations. You were an inspiration to be then and still are to this day. I will never forget you x

not forgotten

jonny marino Nov 25, 2012

Hope you are resting in peace Pedro - you are always here with us.

I read an article today about your Puck going to prison - it is funny how life works.

20 years later

Favor Caruso Nov 24, 2012

I travel alot up & down the Northern part of Interstate 5. Every single time I pass the tiny little town of Zamora....I think of him and the show. Interesting how things stick with you for so long. <3

Patrick Rush

Patrick V Rush Oct 22, 2012

I work for Christopher House of Hope (CHOH) in West Palm Beach Florida. I watched the original show on MTV and I remember keeping track of it and it was a very positive attitude being that I was the same age and a gay male. A good friend of mine brought me home a dvd of Pedro and I cant thank you enough. We work with alot of people that are in need but that movie opened up my heart to people that we need to help. We are a non profit organization with a big heart that helps those in need, whether it be homelessness, alcoholism, drug addiction or those needing a "hand up", we are here for them. I am hoping for the future, so I would like to say thank you and I am hoping that with the facility that we have that we can open it up to the Gay and Lesbian community.
Sincerely yours, Patrick V. Rush

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  • What was Pedro Zamora's first job? Did he/she like it?

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