ACT UP Philadelphia Oral Histories: John Bell by ACT UP Philly published on 2013-04-26T06:49:22Z John Bell was a beloved mentor, friend, and member of ACT UP Philadelphia. A tireless activist, he worked for many years at the intersection of HIV/AIDS and mass incarceration. This interview with John was conducted by Jessica Rodriguez and Pascal Emmer at John's home in West Philadelphia on April 6, 2008. Credit to Puck Lo for audio editing. Genre Oral History Comment by valobstruction He doesn't say this is Axiom 2 of HIV Activism, but this is Axiom 2: We have to take in the reality of America, and strategize from that. 2018-08-22T14:52:10Z Comment by valobstruction THERE ARE AXIOMS IN HIV. axiom 1: people make decisions based on the information they have. 2018-08-21T21:13:05Z Comment by valobstruction "I didn't know that these young people have problems with America too" - this is the marriage that made ACT UP Philly successful. This is super important. 2018-08-21T20:57:15Z Comment by adamedia This was amazing. I met John when I came to Philly to film his efforts for a documentary film I'm resurrecting after a long break. Sadly, when I returned to it, and went to again look for him, I learned he was gone so this really meant a lot, and allowed me a chance to know him so much better than I had before. Adam 2013-05-05T15:51:19Z