AIDS Crises Among African-Americans

After Dr. Eloise V. Lewis viewed a power point presentation in 2004 by Dr. Arthur Johnson of Tripler Army Hospital, she was quite astonished at the high rate of HIV/AIDS infections among African-Americans. Her curiosity broadened to include perceptions of genocide conspiracy and HIV/AIDS, sexual health practices and HIV /AIDS, racial cultures impacted by HIV/AIDS including how HIV/AIDS has impacted sub cultures in America such as men who have sex with men (MSM), white homosexual men, and African American adolescent boys and men. Have historical American events such as the Tuskegee Experiments (1940-1972)-where African-American men were given the syphilis virus and observed for the effects without consent or informing of the exact nature of the experiments and the Henrietta Lacks experiments -an experiment by American doctor Hauesten Gey, who used Lack's cervical cells for cancer treatment without her or her family's consent, impacting African American's decisions when it comes to sexual health practices? Is lack of education about transmission routes for HIV/AIDS affecting people's judgment? Women are equally vulnerable for contracting HIV/AIDS when their partner does not screen for the virus and they are dependent on them for support. How can women be protected from contracting any venereal disease if they are dependent on these men, are not empowered and need support? In 1980, the epidemiology for HIV/AIDS among African American's was 0. Today, African-American's comprise approximately 13-14% of the U.S. population yet among 200,000 new HIV infections, 49% are African Americans, of which black adolescent boys and black men comprise 70%. In 2003, President George W. Bush's administration unveiled policy with the goal to significantly impact AIDS through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), contributing over 148 billion dollars at home and worldwide. Although this global effort is making a great impact, the epidemiology of HIV/