WAYNE, Neb. — A powerful piece of history has arrived in Northeast Nebraska as panels from the world's largest quilt, weighing 54 tons, are now on display at Wayne State College.

In a partnership aimed at elevating awareness of the AIDS story, the Wayne State College Department of Communication Arts is hosting five AIDS Memorial Quilt panels through Dec. 1, coinciding with World AIDS Day.

Each panel tells a story, a tribute to lives touched by HIV/AIDS. Dr. Sean Ahern, Associate Professor at Wayne State College, emphasizes the often-overlooked reality that over 700,000 lives were impacted through various avenues, not solely sexual activity.

"It’s important to remember not just members of the LGBTQ community," Ahern said, "but also people who contracted HIV through blood transfusions or surgery. It’s a personal reminder that we are all part of this shared experience."

The Quilt originated in the 1980s during the height of the AIDS pandemic, conceived by gay rights activist Cleve Jones. Inspired by a sea of placards bearing the names of AIDS victims displayed on the San Francisco Federal Building in 1985, Jones envisioned a larger memorial.

Each panel, the size of a human grave at 3 by 6 feet, features names of families, friends, and even celebrities like Easy-E, Freddie Mercury, and Rosa Parks. The five panels offer a glimpse of the Quilt's monumental scale.

"It’s over 54 tons," Ahern noted. "If fully displayed, like it was outside the Washington Monument in the nineties, it would stretch for 57 miles."

The display carries unique significance, bringing a piece of global history to Nebraska and highlighting the local impact of the AIDS pandemic.

"It’s impactful to see that it happened in Scottsbluff, Lincoln, or Omaha," Ahern stated. "It brings the global issue to the local level."

The display is free and open to the public from 5 to 7 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, in Ley Theatre, located on the second floor of the Brandenburg Building on campus.

For more information or to view the Quilt online, visit www.aidsmemorial.org/quilt.

To learn more, tune in to KWSC 91.9 FM or contact Ahearn at seahern1@wsc.edu.