AIDS Scholar Interview with Richard Zaldívar, conducted by Ted Kerr for the Miami AIDS Memorials Project scholar interview series. Zaldívar, founder and executive director of The Wall Las Memorias in Los Angeles, discusses the origins of the AIDS monument he built beginning in 1993, from its conception as a single memorial panel through years of community organizing, political fundraising, and opposition from both a rival nonprofit and homophobic neighborhood groups. He describes the monument's dedication in 2004 and its renovation, and reflects on the role of Catholic faith, Latino cultural identity, and his own recovery from alcoholism in shaping the project. Zaldívar discusses how the monument grew into a broader service and advocacy organization addressing HIV prevention, substance use, and mental health in the Latino community, and considers the relationship between memorialization, storytelling, and ongoing HIV/AIDS activism.