After watching a news segment, I was forced to question why Black people bare the brunt of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. African Americans account for 49 percent of all reported cases in the United States. The status of this STD has new and disturbing connotations. It has metamorphosed into something that is no longer only characterized byhomosexuality. People like Don Lemon promote the acceptability of the coinage: “Black Disease!” in 2009, HIV/AIDS is clearly a Black issue. However, the fact that race is used to personify HIV/AIDS is, very plainly, discouraging.
The ramifications of the statistics are immense. One of the leading causes for the spread of this disease is the high frequency of sexually active Blacks who do not practice safe habits, such as the use of contraceptives. Therefore, HIV/AIDS continues to ravage Black communities throughout the United States. To worsen the matter, the rate of black children having their first sexual encounters is mushrooming. It is doubtful that these adolescents are responsible enough to handle such an adult topic. Many adults don’t deal with this issue sensibly. How can youngsters live up to such stringent expectations?
It’s interesting to scrutinize exactly what is occurring in Black communities. Educating ourselves will prove beneficial to finding solutions. As we begin to rebuild our communities, this subject should receive more face time. I am concerned that the lack of HIV/AIDS awareness is a communication issue. Attacking this deceptively simple problem, will reveal the underlying complexities surrounding the HIV pandemic and why it is allowed to persist. To fully understand why blacks are disproportionately affected, a thorough analysis is necessary. My blog site will house this discussion. But not today though.
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