WATCH: Rachel Maddow Celebrates 25 Years of ACT UP

Rachel Maddow revealed she was once a member of ACT UP, the AIDS activist group founded by writer Larry Kramer in 1987, during a celebration of ACT UP’s 25 anniversary last week.

With the aid of powerful archival footage, Maddow highlighted ACT UP’s accomplishments, which include speeding up the government’s drug approval process and getting the cost of medication lowered by shutting down the New York Stock Exchange. She also reminded us that there are currently thousands of HIV-positive Americans on waiting lists for drug assistance programs.

Watch her tribute below to one of the most effective and ballsy advocacy groups in American history.