Why some [Black Americans] distrust the U.S.A. (Understanding the Black Experience)
We don't need to go as far back as slavery or segregation, we only need to look back as far as "The Godfather", the Space Shuttle Program and the first 'Watergate' break-in to see how recent and relevant the distrust an anger of bias treatment toward Black Americans is. For forty years between 1932 and 1972, the U.S. Public Health Service
(PHS) conducted an experiment on 399 black men in the late stages of
syphilis. These men, for the most part illiterate sharecroppers from
one of the poorest counties in Alabama, were never told what disease
they were suffering from or of its seriousness. Informed that they were
being treated for “bad blood,”1 their doctors
had no intention of curing them of syphilis at all. The data for the
experiment was to be collected from autopsies of the men, and they were
thus deliberately left to degenerate under the ravages of tertiary
syphilis—which can include tumors, heart disease, paralysis, blindness,
insanity, and death. “As I see it,” one of the doctors involved
explained, “we have no further interest in these patients until they
die.”
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When Rev. Jeremiah Wright (Barak Obama's Pastor) spoke of AIDS being put in the Black community in his much ballyhooed sermon this is why. There is precedence for this kind of action in America. Is this fear mongering? Or is this acknowledging (very real) possibilities? This (Tuskegee) experiment garnered an apology from the President twenty-five years later.
The United States government did something that was wrong—deeply, profoundly, morally wrong. It was an outrage to our commitment to integrity and equality for all our citizens. . . . clearly racist.
When Rev. Jeremiah Wright (Barak Obama's Pastor) spoke of AIDS being put in the Black community in his much ballyhooed sermon this is why. There is precedence for this kind of action in America. Is this fear mongering? Or is this acknowledging (very real) possibilities? This (Tuskegee) experiment garnered an apology from the President twenty-five years later.
The United States government did something that was wrong—deeply, profoundly, morally wrong. It was an outrage to our commitment to integrity and equality for all our citizens. . . . clearly racist.
—President Clinton's apology for the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment to the eight remaining survivors, May 16, 1997
Apologies only begin the healing process. It does not cure the hurt. Germany has apologized (for the Holocaust) but the Jews still feel the pain and recognize the significance of never forgetting nor letting the world forget their struggle. Neither shall Black Americans forget; so when you hear the endless loop of Rev. Wright's petition to GOD damning America it stems from this experience along with, slavery, racism, discrimination and injustice that seeks to understand WHY? And how long do we have to suffer this kind of deception? And is their still this kind of government sanctioned racism going on now?
When (non-Black) Americans hear the horror of the Black experience they want to put it in the past, tag it as "what once was", say "it's not like that anymore" until the next event that tears the scab off a wound that will ultimately leave a scar at best. So here is a reminder of why you (America) will from time to time get the vitriolic rhetoric from our gatherings at churches, rallies and demonstrations. Please pardon the anger, hurt and distrust that Black Americans have for some of America's worst offenders, bad actors and racists. It is natural to cry in pain when your healing; to be in discomfort when you've been handicapped. We are in repair.
Your (test) subject,
Bycha Buxton
Apologies only begin the healing process. It does not cure the hurt. Germany has apologized (for the Holocaust) but the Jews still feel the pain and recognize the significance of never forgetting nor letting the world forget their struggle. Neither shall Black Americans forget; so when you hear the endless loop of Rev. Wright's petition to GOD damning America it stems from this experience along with, slavery, racism, discrimination and injustice that seeks to understand WHY? And how long do we have to suffer this kind of deception? And is their still this kind of government sanctioned racism going on now?
When (non-Black) Americans hear the horror of the Black experience they want to put it in the past, tag it as "what once was", say "it's not like that anymore" until the next event that tears the scab off a wound that will ultimately leave a scar at best. So here is a reminder of why you (America) will from time to time get the vitriolic rhetoric from our gatherings at churches, rallies and demonstrations. Please pardon the anger, hurt and distrust that Black Americans have for some of America's worst offenders, bad actors and racists. It is natural to cry in pain when your healing; to be in discomfort when you've been handicapped. We are in repair.
Your (test) subject,
Bycha Buxton
Comments
Its embarrassing to me as a member of white society to see how my culture has decided its "above" the racism of its parents generation and yet not address the profound affect that racism is having on my generational peers. To think that the denial of FHA home loans to black families does affect the wealth gap that exists today is crazy, for example.
White people want to pat themselves on the back and wander down the street and vote for Barack Obama and yet scoff at the economical disparity between the high school they went to and the inner city school. Its that mentality of "bussed in" kids. When I was in school they bussed in inner city kids to attend my school, and while I am thankful that those children had the opportunity to learn and get an education like I did there was never an attempt to help the communities and schools they COULD have been attending, it was as if "we're doing our part" without shining the light on the whole issue.
My favorite parable about change really applies....a group of people come to a river and people are floating by, in trouble, drowning, and the group starts fishing people out of the river, one of the guy leaves the group and starts walking up the bank. "where are you going?" they ask him, and he says "I am going to find out why people are ending up in this river."
We will never be able to put racial injustice to bed until we do the painful mid-course corrections that take to provide true equality now.
If its not repirations it should be something, heck, I am a sports fan, its like expansion drafts for new teams in the NFL, in order to give them some veteran talent they are allowed to take a few players from other teams, and maybe we should have an expansion draft that allows those discriminated against the chance to chair some of the fortune 500 companies built on their backs before they could vote.
Medical Apartheid - by Harriet A. Washington
Those men who were used as human guinea pigs were lied to by everyone not just one race. The good that did come out of the whole horrible unethical/immoral experiment was legislation stemming from the incident will make sure its near impossible for it to happen again although in all honesty even clinical trials today are fuzzy and often cross the line when it comes to common human decency.
Although its little comfort to those families the survivors were awarded a 9 million dollar settlement, medical for life for them and their families and also received a public apology from the President of this country. Im not sure what else anyone could do, they couldnt give those mens lives back so the only thing left was making sure it doesnt happen again and try to help the survivors and families the best they could.
it is profound and moving. Thank you for putting so much understanding out for the world to see.
Thank you again
I guess what im asking perhaps poorly is when does the anger and mistrust end? What will end it? It just seems to me that people like the Reverend are poisoning the next generation before they have even had a chance to find out for themselves how they will be treated and if things have really changed for the better. Maybe its my own optimism but i really believe if each new generation teaches their children complete equality then they will treat each other as completely equal and pass that same thing on to their children and their childrens children.