The fact that Black people are complicit in racism does not make it any less morally repugnant. So I was all fired up and ready to blast an angry letter to CNN when I read another one of their sensational headlines that they have been dropping to promote their propaganda called “Black in America”, you know, the show where CNN, with the help of Soledad O’Brien, takes every negative stereotype you can find about Black people and applies it to the entire race and beams it to the world.
Last week CNN’s headline writer declared that Black women were an endangered species. Then today I read a CNN headline that asked “Is AIDS an ‘Black Disease?”. Of course not you ninnies! Then I got to the meat of the article and the blame, for once, does not lie with the high schoolers responsible for the content of CNN.com, but from a Black AIDS activist:
“AIDS in America today is a black disease,” says Phill Wilson, founder and CEO of the institute and himself HIV-positive for 20 years. “2006 CDC data tell us that about half of the just over 1 million Americans living with HIV or AIDS are black.”CNN.com
I get his point, but I question his marketing methods and that’s what he is doing, marketing his message. We live in a country where “separate is inherently unequal.” So have these activists thought of the long term implications of labeling ANY disease as a “Black disease”? You can hear the sound of funding drying up as we speak. Drug research. POOF! Compassion- POOF!. Telethons-POOF! Let’s get real.
Doesn’t anybody remember how much time, energy and money were spent to shatter the myth that AIDs was the exclusive province of White gay men? We had songs, telethons and Oprah shows! Now we are intentionally trying to undo the lesson that no one is immune from this disease. Oh wait, somebody else remembers the 80s and 90s too:
This reminds me of the lies that were told about HIV/AIDS and are still being told. Remember the lie that HIV/AIDS is a gay disease, and that only gay people get it? WRONG!! Remember the lie that you could contract HIV/AIDS from kissing someone with the disease? WRONG!! Remember the lie that you could contract HIV/AIDS by shaking hands with someone who has the disease? WRONG!! Remember the lie that you could contract HIV/AIDS by using the same dishes and silverware that someone with the disease used? WRONG!! Ooh, and the biggest lie of all is told by the Catholic Church, particularly in Africa. They tell people that condoms are laced with AIDS. WRONG!! Condoms can help prevent diseases!! Now we’re asking if AIDS is a Black disease? Are you kidding me?The bottom line is, ANYONE AND EVERYONE CAN CONTRACT HIV. It doesn’t matter if you’re black, white, hispanic, asian, native american, or anything else. You can get the disease.
I’m really sick and tired of hearing that it’s this group or that group’s disease. It’s a disease that anybody can get, PERIOD!!I Wish I Were in Paris
THANK YOU!! How Quickly people forget!
In addition, CNN, as the arbiter of all things Black has followed up with a report that says that Black people are genetically predisposed to developing HIV. They are saying genes increase the likelihood of developing an HIV infection by 40%.
Silence Kills. So raising awareness and public education are necessary, but I question the wisdom of labeling any disease in this country as a “Black disease”. When was the last time somebody held a telethon for sickle cell anemia? Y’all let me know when the “high blood pressure” ribbon campaign begins.
I admire what they are attempting to accomplish, but labeling AIDS as a “Black disease” is WRONG and short-sighted. Your temporary headlines on CNN and a possible up tick in funding are nothing compared to the damage that will likely follow if people are able to write off AIDS as a problem for “that other group of people” I thought we already fought this battle. Anybody can contract this disease.
Furthermore, if you are going to label any disease as a “Black”disease, then you have a moral obligation to go beyond getting some temporary news clipping for your cause and providing us an explanation as to WHY.
My frustration with this series is the constant presentation of statistics with little or no time spent addressing how those numbers got so high (or in some cases, low). The question “How did we get to such a place?” should be towards the top of this post, not in the last paragraph. Answer those questions first then let’s engage in conversation about changing the course.Cherisa from CNN.com comments.
EXACTLY CHERISA! Is it because there is something inherent about our BLACKness that makes us susceptible? Or is it poor access to care, a lack of education, gender dynamics, misogyny, poverty, culture, music? Give me something other than this sensational headline to justify trying to turn back the clock 20 years.
The comments at CNN basically prove my point. The LAST thing Black folks need to do is to try to turn AIDS into “OUR” disease. Nobody owns a monopoly on AIDS. ASIA has suffered from its own AIDS epidemics.
Y’all know that if FOX NEWS ran this mess, we would be marching right now. I am so seriously sick of CNN right about now. I mean those ratings must really be worth it to them.
And to all of you who say “Well people need to know the TRUTH!” This ain’t the truth.Stop using the fact that Black folks have problems to welcome slander and abuse from internal or external forces. Stop letting the fact that we aren’t perfect excuse being brutalized by ourselves and others. Stop letting the fact that you are disgusted by the behavior of some Black people allow you to pardon someone engaging in behavior that has longterm negative consequences for all of us. Just because you are mad at your people doesn’t mean you stand by and watch as someone, even one of our own, selfishly attempts to throw them over a cliff. We ALL don’t deserve what CNN has been doing to us for two weeks and counting.
This latest example is one man’s opinion and mainstream media, with CNN and the front of the pack has run with it. There has to be another way. I remember the 80s and 90s-it wasn’t pretty and for the life of me I can’t figure out why someone who claims to be an activist would intentionally engage in turning back the clock to the days when people really did think that if they didn’t belong to a certain “group” they were immune from the disease. That just isn’t true. No one is immune. No one is immune. No. One. Is. Immune.
18 comments ↓
The social marketing campaign labeling AIDS as a black disease began 2 years ago.
This is old and I had voiced my objections to it then. However, I have to say that parts of the campaign have had limited successes. Given the level of ignorance I’ve seen in the comments section on your previous posting, SOMETHING is needed.
We are getting infected at higher numbers, but we have the same sexual practices as whites. Black women have the highest rates of infection out of any other racial group (though the data on Latinos is starting to show exponential increases) JL King, Oprah, and other so-called “activists” continue to represent “down-low” propaganda (it is NOT a phenomenon)as fact-based and Black Women lap it up.
So where do we start? You are absolutely correct that HIV/AIDS is multinational, non-gender specific, non sexual-orientation specific, and transmission is BEHAVIOR oriented.
The other thing I’d like to point out is that the statisitics, while alarming, shouldn’t be surprising. More people are getting tested for HIV and because of the wide availability of HIV tests, both blood and oral, more people appear to be infected.
When I used to test people, I cannot tell you how many simply refused to get the tests because they though they had relatively low risk. When they finally got up the nerve to come to our office or trailer, many tested negative.
In relation to our total population, I believe (and I did read this) that out of everyone who gets an HIV test about 1% test positive (unless you’re in DC, then that figure is between 5-10%…our surveillance data was a hot mess before August 2005),
Blkseagoat,
Longterm I think any raised “awareness” benefits from labeling a disease as “Black” will be far outweighed by the marginalization that will soon follow if AIDS in this country, considering our nation’s history, is considered the province of the Black community.
Its sensational, but benefits are short term.
Gina,
I get what you’re saying which is why I stated limited successes. I’m just wondering why CNN refuses to actually report the CDC’s finding that HIV infection has increased among all groups, but mainly because more people are getting tested.
I’ll find the link and post it here. I just talked to a friend of mine who is a black HIV specialist and that article about black genetic predisposition to getting infected is crap… (his words not mine).
It can’t be crap, it was on CNN presented as the Gospel truth.
The reason CNN isn’t presenting the increase across all groups is because that does not fit their current agenda that it sucks t be “Black in America”
THAT’S why I wrote this post because I have no doubt that this researcher said a thousand things, but the got caught up on this one sentence.
I am responding to black women being called an “endangered species.” It’s strange how that label was used for black men in the 80s and it seemed to empowering, motivating lots of social movements within our community to “save” them. Wasn’t that phrase used on those flyer defending the Dunbar rapists?
I am not sure yet how to process this.
Reading this just saddens me, I agree that to label this a Black disease will make already limited funding dry up even more.
The scary thing in reading your post is that for every 1 person that calls BS on CNN and what they have been trying to do with their Black in America series, there are many more (and sadly Black folks) who think what they are doing is good. I only watched part of that special but was irritated, all it was, was negativity IMO.
Having run a HIV prevention education program targeted towards people of African descent, I agree there is nothing truthful in this message being spread. You cannot look at the stats without looking at other issues that play a part in why these numbers are high.
While black people probably have the same sexual habits as everyone else, its obvious that blacks are lacking in the condom use department. How do we know that? 70% OOW birth rate. Yeah I know someone is going to come in here and say such and such was with her boyfriend for 5 years before she got pregnant, but I also know women who knew the man for 3 months and got pregnant.
I think the high HIV rate can also be attributed to the crack epidemic. We have had women, who for years smoked crack, selling their bodies for drugs, and when they get clean years later they find out they have HIV.
A lot of women like bad boys, some women run from men who have been to jail, some say its ok and don’t take proper precautions. Not to mention these grown men also mess with young girls.
Also, porn culture infiltrating the mainstream. I see VH1 gave Luke from 2 Live Crew a tv show. I think he help bring that Girls Gone Wild stripper culture into the mainstream black community. Women aren’t just stripping at some of these clubs and some men just aren’t sitting there watching.
Over course we have the women who have been married for 20 years and got HIV from their husband. But to combat this we must attack it from all angles. Even if we have to face the things we don’t want to talk about in our community.
“Stop using the fact that Black folks have problems to welcome slander and abuse from internal or external forces. Stop letting the fact that we aren’t perfect excuse being brutalized by ourselves and others. Stop letting the fact that you are disgusted by the behavior of some Black people allow you to pardon someone engaging in behavior that has longterm negative consequences for all of us.”
I think this says it all. We Black people are NOT perfect, but neither is anybody else, to throw a blanket statement around like, “AIDS is a black disease,” is harmful and untrue. Sure we should not worry about what white people think of us, but not everybody is a decent person and some people could and will use this to discriminate. How many young black people might be turned down for jobs, housing, school, because someone’s afraid they have AIDS? It could happen.
Gina,
The paper regarding the genetic predisposition was published in Cell Host and Microbe by a leading AIDS researcher.
It suggests a possible link between a mutation in a gene that codes for proteins that cause sickle cell, but in African countries, confers a natural resistance to Malaria. It mentions that this particular mutation may have an affect on the regulation of HIV/AIDS virulence and susceptibility.
Here is the link to the .pdf and it’s free for everyone.
HIV/AIDS Paper by Dolan
I’m gonna actually read it tonight and email a couple of friends I know who have worked with Dr. Nolan.
This gives me a great idea for a podcast!
Very good blog topic Gina. As much as folks balked at labeling AIDS a gay disease, how can someone come out an label it a “black disease”. That implies that the disease belongs to us. It’s a human disease, not a “black disease”.
I also wish that someone will work toward a reason for the high rate of infection, even if we must consider a genetic lack of immunity common to blacks (similar to the natural tendency toward alcoholism among American Indians). This is better than just constantly citing statistics, which in my opinion, is for the sole purpose of showing the world how ’screwed up’ we are.
Just because you are mad at your people doesn’t mean you stand by and watch as someone, even one of our own, selfishly attempts to throw them over a cliff.
Agreed, which is why I used to confront Evia for the things she says.
“Nobody owns a monopoly on AIDS”
Cut up, Gina! I’ve heard you on NPR, so I decided to give you a visit.
This is an excellent, heartfelt post! You are so right. So right! AIDS is something that we can’t ignore, nor be ignorant about. Ignoring it means that we see it but don’t act on it. Ignorance means that we act on it before we see what it is. (In my opinion at least)
We’ve got to stop glorifying sex. As a 24 year old “rookie” in the bedroom, I see the benefits of staying pure until marriage. Not having AIDS is the greatest benefit of all.
Gina,
Love this topic. I was suspiciou when I first heard about CNN’s series “Black In America” and it proved to be ainti-black and racist propoganda. mAnd the sad thing is that blacks are promoting the b.s. And what will happen is that we will complain years from now when AIDS is actually knocw as the “black disease.” I think Soledad O’Brien ought to loose her black benefits for this. She isresponsible for this entire campaign.
With friends like CNN who needs Fake Noise to attack? If I see So-Le-Dadi in person I will have to resist to urge to slap her for claiming to be Black while denigrating us all.
i have to agree with you. i have always said this. again, no one has the monopoly on morality just like no one has the monopoly on HIV/AIDS
big up
Excellent post!!!
Zack: black, male, Christian and a virgin? Now you know you are a rarity but how special is that! (I’m a mother of beautiful 21 and 23 year old virgin daughters – I’m sending them your profile immediately! And yes, I can hear them saying “oh mom!”)
But where Naima said above with the 70% out-of-wedlock birth rate folks are seriously lacking in the condom department, you said it best saying that we have to stop glorifying sex and wait until marriage. That is the best way to conquer AIDS/STDS and OOW babies.
Great words and please stay pure!
Carlotta at Christocentric
I have mixed feelings about the CNN infomercial touting AIDS as a black diesease. AIDS has been with us for a very long time. It’s not as if the nature of the disease is a mystery, conspiracy theories notwithstanding. Doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result is insanity.
On one hand I was angry because of the image perpetuates that black people, especially women are the reason why AIDS rates are so high and points to black people as the source of AIDS (wrong!). It also buys into sexual sterotypes of black people again, especially black women, but let’s not go there.
On the other hand, I am almost hoping that this would put some fear in young black men and women, the population that has increasing infection rates. This virus is infecting us at growing rates and to quote Kayne West: ‘George Bush doesn’t care about black people.’ So expecting the government to give you the magic bullet cure isn’t going to happen.
All the public outrage is well and good but what can be done or has to be done to slow the infection of this deadly epidemic among black people? Will it take the vigorous efforts of WHO, with similar efforts when it eradicated polio? What role does or should the government play in regulating sexual behavior? What comprehensive plan can be implemented to address this ? I think alot of black folks need a serious ‘hello, negro’ pimp-slap/wake-up call to address this issue because just complaining about main stream media depiction of black folks is going to keep people dying in ignorance.
[...] epidemic? Does this labeling do more to hurt our efforts to end AIDS in the Black community? In a posting responding to CNN’s Black in America program last summer, the author writes, “I admire [...]