It is reasonable to state that being a Black man in America is one of the most difficult tasks known to humankind. Black men are the most likely group to be incarcerated while also having the shortest lifespan of all Americans. Although numerous studies have explained why the above is true, what matters most to Black men and those who love them is that this situation exists.
Numerous reminders accentuate the differing experiences and perspectives between Black men and their countrymen. The latest reminder is the global pandemic. Black men seem cursed to receive a heaping dose of misfortune at every turn. This harsh reality creates pessimism in some of the most unusual spaces.
The development of a Covid-19 vaccine is another moment when skepticism rears its ugly head among Black men. Although I am no conspiracy theorist, you know the kind that places their faith in sketchy plots of a secret organization seeking to destroy Black men for no good reason, even I do not consider Black men’s hesitancy to receive the vaccination a sign of paranoia. The historical record offers undeniable proof that Black men should be very concerned about contacting the U.S. medical industry.
An examination of the American health care system reveals many moments of unethical behavior regarding Black men. The most infamous occurrence of medical malpractice is the Tuskegee Study. Consider the information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding what has become known as the Bad Blood experiment.
Tuskegee Study, 1932-1972
Nearly 65 years after the U.S. Public Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee began, President Clinton apologized for the U.S. government’s role in the research study, which was carried out in Macon County, Alabama, from 1932 to 1972.
The United States Public Health Service, in trying to learn more about syphilis and justify treatment programs for blacks, withheld adequate treatment from a group of poor black men who had the disease, causing needless pain and suffering for the men and their loved ones.
The backdrop of medical malpractice serves as the foremost reason many Black men view the arrival of coronavirus vaccines with extreme skepticism. The CDC’s call for all adults to receive the vaccination by the end of 2021 increases those concerns.
The skepticism of Black men will be expressed in a host of ways, such as refusing to be guinea pigs to the medical industry. Others couch their concerns via statements that touch upon systemic racism. For example, a close acquaintance recently shared feelings that the vaccine will be given to Whites first, and if there is anything leftover, then Blacks will receive those scraps. Regardless of the argument Black men associate with, the point remains that they have good reason to proceed with caution. I am certain that health care professionals will be frustrated when their best attempts to “educate” Black men about why they need to be vaccinated causes them to become further entrenched in resistance.
The medical profession is well aware of Black men’s hesitancy to trust new vaccines, hence developing a public relations campaign to convince Black men that the new vaccine is not a return to the unjustifiable medical practices of yesteryear. Medical professionals realize no reassurance for Blacks is to be found in the historical record. There is no persuasive argument capable of convincing the masses of Black men to abandon their varying levels of skepticism. When placed within the proper historical context, the fears of Black men are understandable.
In fact, the alluded to distrust of everything is one of the many adaptations Black men have made as they seek to increase their chances of survival in the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Dr. James Thomas Jones III
© Manhood, Race, and Culture, 2020.