The Third World AIDS Advisory Task Force (TWAATF) was the first organization in San Francisco to focus on the needs of people of color affected by AIDS. The actual founding date was never recorded, but it appears to have been in the later part of 1985. Principal founders were Ernest Andrews, Calu Lester, and Larry Saxon, and other early leaders included Norm Nickens and Pat Norman. One of its first accomplishments was the organization of a Conference on Ethnic Minorities and AIDS, held at UCSF in 1986. That conference drew more people into active involvement, including Hank Tavera, who was later elected Chair of TWAAFT.

TWAAFT activities primarily involved advocacy for people of color with AIDS, as well as lobbying for support of agencies that served and supported people of color. This collection documents how TWAAFT - and other coalitions that subsequently evolved - pressured the Health Commission, the San Francisco AIDS Office, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Shanti Project, and other AIDS organizations to deal with issues of race and the need for a multicultural approach to education and treatment. Among the results of this campaign was the formation by the San Francisco AIDS Office of a Minority AIDS Advisory Committee (renamed people of color HIV Advisory Committee in 1990). While TWAAFT was primarily a watchdog and advocacy organization, key members were also active in the AIDS/ARC Vigil and other groups, as well as needle exchanges, immigration rights, and numerous other social issues. TWAATF representatives also sat on the initial Ryan White Care Council. With the growth of other organizations serving people of color with AIDS however, the original role that TWAATF served had diminished, and its final meetings were held in 1991.