New York City was deeply impacted by the AIDS epidemic. By the end of 1987, more than 9,800 New Yorkers with the disease had died. But because many of the communities most affected were marginalized at the time, the government's response lagged.  That's partly why in 1987 a group of advocates formed ACT UP - an activist organization known for its in-your-face tactics.

Sarah Schulman is an AIDS historian and a professor at CUNY’s College of Staten Island, and the author of "Let the Record Show: A Political History of ACT UP New York." She also was a member of ACT UP herself.

Click "Listen" in the player above to hear her conversation with WNYC's Sean Carlson.