Southern African Americans at Higher Risk for HIV

AIDS is a global epidemic that has millions of causalities. The majority of the victims of this deadly disease are disproportionately people of color. AIDS and HIV are often characterized as "African" and "gay" diseases. This is unfortunate, considering that a majority of the new cases of HIV in the United States are contracted by heterosexual African American women. The occurrence of HIV in African Americans form the south is analyzed in Adimora's , "HIV and African Americans in the Southern United States: Sexual Networks and Social Context". Evidence presented in this study is based on empirical evidence and other forms of literature. HIV and its relationship with socioeconomic status are carefully analyzed in this article. The author hypothesizes concurrent partnerships and bridging among African Americans in the south has caused the spike in HIV infection.

The study found that low rations of black men and women, economic depression, racial discrimination, and high incarceration rates of black men are linked to the contraction of HIV. These findings support the author's theory that concurrent partnerships, and bridging strongly correlate with HIV among African Americans in the south. Concurrency and bridging refers to the likelihood of an individual having a sexual relationship with someone who has had significantly more or less sexual relationships. This means that sexual promiscuity might not be the direct cause of the contraction of HIV.

The author suggests that high incarceration rates of black men, poverty, and the overall lack of eligible black men contribute to the high HIV rates among African American women because they are forced to tolerate the sexual habits of young African American men. Education and income level have had a tremendous affect on the amount of African Americans in the south that contract the disease. This suggests that lack of awareness about the disease has been detrimental. The lack of healthcare associated with high income along with proper sexual education make young black women, and blacks in general , more susceptible to contracting HIV.

The findings of this article are startling and troubling. Once again, People who have don't have good access to healthcare and education has significant health consequences. This is completely unfair. Providing someone with good education and healthcare should not be considered a handout. Good health is one of the necessities for livelihood. The pain, suffering, and illness of the African American population affect all Americans. There isn't a group of Americans who isn't affected negatively or positively by the actions or experiences by African Americans.

The social injustice associated with healthcare is the most troubling aspect of this study. It is easy to dismiss HIV as being rooted in promiscuity and poor decisions. This is a false assumption that has human casualties. The sexual activity of the African Americans in the south was greatly influenced by the social and economic disadvantages. These disadvantages were caused by discrimination and adversity that dates back hundreds of years. In order to solve this issue African Americans will have to take responsibility for their actions, and education and healthcare access will have to be made available to all Americans.