Ruth Coker Burks

Ruth Coker Burks is an AIDS activist and caregiver from Hot Springs, Arkansas.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, she cared for hundreds of young men dying of AIDS when their families, churches, and communities abandoned them.

Without medical training, she educated herself about the disease and became an advocate, providing food, housing, and end-of-life care.

Burks arranged funerals and buried men's ashes in her family cemetery when no one else would.

Her work brought her into conflict with her community but earned her the nickname "Cemetery Angel." Burks later advised President Clinton on AIDS policy and continues to speak about her experiences.