[BlackRose1042]

Day 9: Ancestral Voices Rising Up: A Collage Series on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study
"Bad Blood," dated September 18, 2012, an excerpt from Ancestral Voices Rising Up: A Collage Series on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study by Obiora N. Anekwe, Ed.D, M.S., via ethicallyspeaking.net.

In A Collage Series on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, Obiora N. Anekwe juxtaposes the tragedy of an unethical human experiment with the possibility of transformation and renewal. Using collages of pictures of the past and present, Obiora "vividly reminds us all that the story of Tuskegee is one of
remembrance, healing, and reconciliation" (via Bookshop).

In 1932, 600 men were invited to participate in a research study with the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) to find a cure for syphilis. Participants were offered free medical care for their participation – and many participants, sharecroppers who had never had the chance to receive medical care before, signed up eagerly. Throughout their lifetime, men were monitored regularly by health officials and were assured they were being treated. But in reality, they were part of a sick experiment: the PHS was only watching to track the disease’s full progression untreated. 
 
The men were told they had “bad blood” but not that they had syphilis. They were only given placebos, despite the fact that penicillin was widely available as a recommended treatment in 1947 (History). Researchers provided no effective care as the men “died, went blind or insane or experienced other severe health problems” until an outraged researcher leaked the story to the press in 1972. Public criticism prompted the study to be shut down. By that time, 28 participants had died from the disease. One hundred more passed away from related complications, at least 40 spouses had been diagnosed with syphilis, and the disease had been passed to 19 children at birth (History).
 
This event, along with other acts of medical racism throughout history, has prompted the Black community to be distrustful of the healthcare system, particularly the elderly community. The reverberating impact of the Tuskegee Study, for example, is responsible for “over a third of the life expectancy gap between older black men and white men in 1980” (The Atlantic). As our nation grapples with a global pandemic, vaccine mandates and mask policies, there needs to be more efforts to rebuild trust to keep those most vulnerable safe.
"Brotherhood," dated November 25, 2012, an excerpt from Ancestral Voices Rising Up: A Collage Series on the Tuskegee Syphilis Study by Obiora N. Anekwe, Ed.D, M.S., via

About Dr. Obiora N. Anekwe:

Dr. Obiora N. Anekwe was born in Tuskegee Institute, Alabama on the campus of Tuskegee Institute (now Tuskegee University) in the John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital. A trained bioethicist, he blended his creative and scientific background for this work.

"I wanted to use my artistic ability to translate the themes of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and, in general, discuss ethics, philosophy, and bioethics in a way that everyone would understand."
--Dr. Obiora N. Anekwe interviewed for Columbia University

Reflection Questions

1. How does historical medical mistrust affect our efforts to address COVID-19 today?
   
   
2. What are other examples of public outrage sparking change within the past year?
   
   
3. What privilege(s) may you benefit from that make it easier to trust the healthcare system? What parts of your identity make you less trustful of the healthcare system?