Did the U.S. Spread AIDS in the Black Community?
A lot of people have been upset about the comments Rev. Jeremiah Wright has made in his sermons, one of the biggest being the one about the United States spreading AIDS in the black community. While I don’t personally feel this is true, I cannot blame him or anyone else in his generation for having those feelings. Wright, born in 1941, lived during a time when rights weren’t always equal and segregation was a normal part of life. He was well-educated and after two years of serving in the United States Marine Corps, joined the United States Navy and entered the Corpsman School at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center. As a preacher, he seems to have had a monumental effect in the black community where his Chicago church is located. So it’s interesting to me how a 10 second clip can overshadow the accomplishments of the past.
While the numbers of those infected with HIV/AIDS are high in the black community, I honestly don’t feel the government had anything to do with it. At the same time, I can see why Wright and so many others feel this statement is true. Over 70 years ago, an experimental study took place that I feel may have caused some of the distrust between our government and the black community.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website:
In 1932, the Public Health Service, working with the Tuskegee Institute, began a study to record the natural history of syphilis in hopes of justifying treatment programs for blacks. It was called the “Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male.”
The study initially involved 600 black men – 399 with syphilis, 201 who did not have the disease. The study was conducted without the benefit of patients’ informed consent. Researchers told the men they were being treated for “bad blood,” a local term used to describe several ailments, including syphilis, anemia, and fatigue. In truth, they did not receive the proper treatment needed to cure their illness. In exchange for taking part in the study, the men received free medical exams, free meals, and burial insurance. Although originally projected to last 6 months, the study actually went on for 40 years.
While many laws have been implemented to prevent another Tuskegee Experiment, the distrust still remains. If you’re thinking “ya’ll need to get over it”, let’s do the math. 2008 minus 1972 (the year the study was ended) equals 36 years. These men participated in this study and were mislead by the very people we look to for help when we’re sick. Time heals all wounds, but this is one instance where the time has not been long enough. I’m all for getting medical attention when needed and hope the black patient/doctor/government relationship improves. When the trust is broken, it takes time and effort from all sides to repair it.
There was one time when a black doctor came to our men’s Bible study class asking for volunteers to participant in a study for diabetes. He explained to us the importance of getting involved in these types of medical studies and urged us to spread the word. He told us when African-Americans don’t participate, the medicines created aren’t well-tested for our people. The doctors then have a harder time choosing the best medication for us and we end up having to try out more combinations than everyone else. But in the end, I doubt the good doctor had anyone participate in his study (including me).
Is Wright right for spreading the AIDS belief in his sermon? I think it’s up to his church and the members to make up their own minds on how they feel about it. Wright is free to believe and express what he feels is true, but all he did is say what many people are saying behind closed doors. For more information on the experiment, check out the sites below:
