Addressing the African Americans
AIDS among African Americans is also particularly of concern in East Elmhurst because of their high prevalence in terms of PLWA rates. Conspiracy beliefs have been cited within the African American community which remains one of the most destructive forces hindering the prevention of AIDS within African Americans (13). In an article by Bird, it states that, “Several surveys have noted that a significant percentage of African Americans hold conspiracy beliefs regarding AIDS and that such beliefs are more prevalent among Blacks than among Whites… ‘The government is using AIDS as a way of killing off minority groups’” (16). Poverty also becomes an issue within this community and according to census report, approximately 8.1 million black Americans rare in poverty. In addition, “an average black American is approximately eight times poorer than his or her white counterpart” (3). Money is not the only issue associated with poverty but the socioeconomic stress as well. Many impoverished people fall into depression and thus, they lack motivation to care about their health.
Solution:
One solution to end the distrust of the African Americans against the government is to create more publications regarding current research as something that is not against African Americans. African Americans need to be informed that what the government had done at the Tuskegee was unethical and that experiments today cannot be practiced upon the subject unless consent was given and the subject has full knowledge of the experiment. Furthermore, there is a recent article stating that the Center of Disease Control is awarding more money to support HIV/AIDS testing among African Americans, “The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has awarded $35 million in funding to state and local health departments to increase HIV testing opportunities among populations disproportionately affected by HIV, primarily African Americans” (14). If there is still a lingering conspiracy within the government against African Americans, the CDC would not be raising their funds for the prevention of AIDS in the African American community. Thus, the African American community needs to be informed of the numerous efforts that are being conducted to help their population evade HIV/AIDS. Furthermore, there are current measures being taken within the celebrity industry to promote AIDS awareness, “Local activists have worked for decades to draw attention to the toll of HIV in the black community. Now they are being joined by a growing number of African American celebrities and leaders nationwide” (41). If getting the African American informed does not work, one cannot completely change another person’s belief and the best way to protect them is to hire African American healthcare professionals to address the problem. Perhaps, hearing the information from someone their own race would lead them to slowly let go of their conspiracy beliefs within the government.
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