BLOOMINGTON — Ryan White’s lifelong dream was to attend Indiana University. Today, 36 years after his passing, that dream has been realized in a permanent, powerful way.
On Wednesday, June 10, 2026, the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington and the Rural Center for AIDS/STD Prevention officially unveiled a life-sized bronze memorial sculpture dedicated to White inside the Indiana Memorial Union.
In attendance for the emotional ceremony were Ryan’s mother, Jeanne White Ginder, and his sister, Andrea White. Titled “Keep Going,” the monument stands as a lasting tribute to the teenager whose brave fight against stigma changed the landscape of the American healthcare system and civil rights.
“Keep Going” was proposed by Provost Professor and RCAP Senior Director, William L. Yarber, and was created by Melanie Cooper Pennington, sculpture area head and senior lecturer at the Indiana University School of Art, Architecture + Design.
A Legacy of Courage Against Discrimination
Ryan White became a household name in the mid-1980s when he was diagnosed with AIDS at just 13 years old, having contracted the virus through a contaminated factor VIII blood transfusion used to treat his hemophilia.
Given just six months to live, Ryan’s only wish was to return to his middle school classes in Kokomo, Indiana. Instead, he and his mother faced severe, systemic discrimination from local school board officials and community members, fueled by fear and misinformation about the disease.
The family fought a grueling legal battle for his right to attend school before ultimately relocating to Cicero, Indiana, where the community famously welcomed Ryan with open arms. Outliving his initial prognosis by five years, Ryan became a national voice for compassion, education, and AIDS awareness. He passed away in April 1990 at the age of 18, just one month before his high school graduation.
An Interactive Tribute Supported by Elton John
The new bronze sculpture captures Ryan’s youthful spirit, depicting him in a classic denim jacket and carrying an IU backpack.
Designed to be interactive, the life-sized monument invites visitors to engage with Ryan’s message. The installation features a built-in slot where students and guests can drop in personal notes of encouragement, reflections on public health, or messages of hope.
Funding to bring the monument to the Bloomington campus was provided through a joint philanthropic effort by the Indiana University Dance Marathon (IUDM)—which was originally founded in 1991 to honor Ryan’s memory—and rock icon Sir Elton John, who developed a close, personal friendship with Ryan and the White family during the final years of the teenager’s life.
The statue is now open to the public, positioned as a permanent fixture of inspiration for future generations of Hoosiers.
