Aids in the African American Community

Running head : Aids in the African American Community

Aids in the African American Community

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In the mind of the public , the AIDS problem is undoubtedly linked to sexual behaviors and possibly perceived to be a result of promiscuity nonmonogamous sexual activity , and a well-deserved problem that should affect gay and homosexual people . To a certain extent , efforts to combat AIDS in the African-American communities have also been hindered by the fact that we know very little , beyond stereotypes

and myths , about the sexuality of African-Americans . These perceptions have provided much of the confusion about what we should do about HIV /AIDS , or for that matter any of the health problems that are at epidemic levels in the African American communities throughout the United States . It has also been the case that several of the important sources of leadership in the African-American communities have utilized the AIDS epidemic to develop and promote extremely conservative religious and moral agendas and punitive responses toward persons who are already considered to be unfit members of the community . For example , during the first wave of the AIDS epidemic there were several stories within the African-American communities across the United States about ministers who were preaching to their congregations about how AIDS is "God 's punishment for homosexual people who sin " While there is no way to determine the extent of this attitude among African-American ministers and preachers approximately one-fourth of the sample (28 percent ) of African-American college students was in agreement with this belief

There is a long history in the United States of African-Americans and other minority groups being devalued and of having their behavior labeled deviant . In the case of AIDS , the victims are further socially ostracized . A prime example is the fact that Haitians were at one time considered a risk group . Because of this , many Haitians lost their jobs and experienced extreme levels of racial discrimination , not because they had AIDS , but because they were Haitians and therefore linked to AIDS (Moore and LeBaron , 1986

So , it appears that efforts to combat HIV /AIDS have been hindered by (1 our lack of knowledge about the sexuality of African-Americans (2 research that has not seriously examined the variability of behavior and attitudes within African-American groups (3 ) community and religious leaders who view the AIDS problems as punishment from God (4 ) our intolerance of gays and bisexuals within the African American community and (5 ) the lack of attention directed at the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases prior to the HIV /AIDS epidemic . If one accepts these observations , then what are we to do in to develop effective and culturally sensitive AIDS-prevention messages that will reach African-Americans , who are not monogamous , are not abstinent , and who do not use IV-drugs

One solution is to make sure that African-Americans have an adequate understanding of the factors associated with the transmission of HIV /AIDS . Overall , the pattern of the results indicates that...