Where the street has a name: Zamora Way
For the birthday he never saw, AIDS educator Pedro Zamora got a gift he would have cherished.

Zamora, who died in November of AIDS complications, was honored Tuesday when the street in front of West Dade's McMillan Middle School was named for him in a ceremony that saw all 2,000 students, plus friends and family march around the school. His father, Hector, led the parade. "This is simply marvelous," he said. "I love seeing all these young people celebrating life and my son's efforts. I hope the rest of the world will see what has happened today and not only recognize my son for what he did, but also face the facts about AIDS."

Zamora, who gained fame first as a local AIDS educator and then as a cast member on MTV's The Real World, would have turned 23 Tuesday. The street naming idea came from Metro Commissioner Bruce Kaplan. The parade idea came from kids at the school.

After the march, everyone settled in front of a stage festooned with red ribbons and balloons. A poster of Zamora was surrounded by quilts and posters designed by students in memory of people who have lost their lives to AIDS.
"It feels great to be part of this," said Avilette Breto, 12, a sixth-grader at McMillan. "What he did was something so good, more people should do the same." Jackie Pons, the McMillan teacher who helped organize the parade, and her students already have raised more than $3,000 for Zamora's memorial fund.

The highlight came when the sign, renaming SW 59th Street "Pedro Zamora Way," was unveiled. The crowd chanted "Pedro, Pedro," for a full minute. "I know that as an attention-hog, Pedro would have loved to be here," said Pam Ling, a fellow Real World cast member. "It's up to us to make him live on, not just with street signs and red ribbons but by spreading his message."

Text © Claudia P. Solis Tampa Bay Times

2 March 1995
Clausia P. Solis, Miami, FL