Ruth Coker Burks

Book Description

During the 1980s, America faced a frightening disease that many people did not understand. Thousands were becoming sick, and many were dying. Fear spread through hospitals, churches, neighborhoods, and families.

For some people living with AIDS, the disease brought more than physical suffering. They also faced rejection, discrimination, poverty, and loneliness.

In Arkansas, a woman named Ruth Coker Burks refused to turn her back.

She was not a doctor. She was not a wealthy philanthropist. She was an ordinary woman who saw people suffering and decided they deserved kindness.

She helped patients obtain food, medicine, shelter, and medical attention. She sat beside those who were dying. When families refused to claim their loved ones, she arranged dignified burials.

But Ruth’s story is about more than one woman’s compassion.

Ruth Coker Burks: The Woman Who Buried the Forgotten examines America’s AIDS crisis through the experiences of people who lived through it. It explores how hospitals, churches, families, and government institutions responded to the epidemic, including the failures that left vulnerable people without support.

It also recognizes the healthcare workers, families, religious communities, drag performers, and local organizations that chose to help.

Written in clear, accessible language, this independent historical case study invites readers to remember those who suffered, understand the lessons of the epidemic, and discover why Ruth Coker Burks is a woman everyone should know about.

Her story reminds us that even one person, without wealth or political power, can make a lasting difference.