A colleague recently suggested addressing racism in the U.S. is too difficult. You know “the issue with slavery and race, people don’t want to talk about it.” Why not start with “low hanging fruit”? You know “kinda like what they did with HIV and AIDS.” Look at the progress we have made in this area.
While there has been tremendous progress in morbidity and mortality associated with HIV/AIDS for certain groups, one group in particular now bears the greatest disease burden. I happen to belong to that group…Black women. At some point, we must confront structural racism in the US as a root cause of health inequities. If we are too afraid to acknowledge the existence of structural racism, we will never be able to improve health or other social inequities.
“Blacks/African Americans account for a higher proportion of new HIV diagnoses and people living with HIV, compared to other races/ethnicities. In 2017, Blacks/African Americans accounted for 13% of the US population but 43% (16,694) of the 38,739 new HIV diagnoses in the United States and dependent areas.“*
Read more on the CDC website: HIV and African Americans
Stirring Up Trouble by DrVLoLil 
This awareness on structural racism regarding the health inequity of HIV and AIDS is very important. In my introduction to public health course a few years ago, I focused on developing a report on HIV and AIDS for a class assignment. I gathered information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). I became aware of this disparity then. There was this report through the CDC that mapped out the changes of HIV and AIDS throughout the United States between 1981 through 2000. A table in this report showed how in the years between 1996-2000, rates of HIV and AIDS began to become more prevalent in the Black community. It reported 88,896 cases in White Americans and 118,665 cases in Black Americans. In the time of 1996-2000, Black Americans contributed to 44.9% of HIV and AIDS cases in the United States.
Here is a link to the source: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5021a2.htm
I wanted to contribute this information to show how structural racism has neglected to report such a discrepancy regarding this particular health concern for many years. And it still happening. As personally identifying as queer, I have seen numerous instances and heard of others’ experiences with racism in the LGBTQ+ community. Biased and racist perceptions have negatively harmed Black members of the LGBTQ+ community and created barriers from receiving assistance. Also, the bias of HIV and AIDS being classified as a “gay disease” is a harmful since it creates a stigma that only gay men can contract the virus. No one thinks this issue impacts anyone else besides gay men. When in reality, Black women are being ignored due to said stigma and are consequently facing higher rates of HIV and AIDS. When attitudes brushing off harms of racism due to its size, it creates harmful consequences since communities begin to get ignored and not receive the assistance they need. I have noticed how many individuals begin to not consider an issue a problem if it no longer impacts their well-being anymore. This topic is very important to me because this health inequality created so much hurt for one community, yet many neglect or are ignorant towards the negative implications it is having on another community. I think everyone needs to become more aware and educated on issues affecting them also affects other communities.
***I apologize for such a looong response haha. This is topic is very important to me and I appreciate you addressing this health inequality in your blog***
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No need to apologize. This is important stuff. These are all systems of oppression. If we can’t name them, we can’t address them.
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Hey Robert Keene! Have you noticed the trends in COVID-19 occurring in Louisiana?
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