Journal Articles - HIV/AIDS and Black Women

"Recognize where you are within this country and system. Black women we are at the bottom, period. And if you know that then you can operate on a better ground, you can fight your battles differently (under 30 focus group)." -Williams et. al (Page 18)

Authors: Lauren L. Josephs & Eileen Mazur Abel; Peter A. Newman, et. al; Esther Tharao and Notisha Massaquoi; Charmaine C. Williams et. al

The readings this week were, once again, part of a natural progression in understanding what impacts and effects HIV/AIDS has on black women and black communities in Canada. All four were journal articles based on qualitative studies with groups of black women in Canada meant to understand a particular element of how HIV/AIDS affects black women.

All of the studies recognized from the outset the diversity of this group within Canada when it comes to education, immigration status, income and experience. But at the same time they used questionnaires and focus groups to attempt to understand how this diverse group that is so significantly (and at this point somewhat inexplicably) affected by HIV/AIDS conceptualizes the disease and its place in their lives.

The studies began to provide answers and suggest areas for further research. All of the readings date to the early 2000s which seems to be when researchers and healthcare practioners began to notice and address the disportionate rate of infection of HIV/AIDS among women and especially black women in North America.

The readings have now moved away from theory and have begun to focus on the practical and real life impact of HIV/AIDS among black women. I think it is an absolutely necessary step, critical in fact, to begin to talk to the groups impacted by a particular trend once theories have been established about why it may be happening. Theory can only take you so far before you need to actually go out there and try to figure out what is going on—the readings this week represent that step. The authors are mostly social work professors and HIV/AIDS community workers with a direct link to the group of women (black women) discussed in this course and this set of readings.

What I found especially interesting that came from all of the readings is the emphasis the women in the studies put on the need for “culturally competent” treatment and prevention strategies. It’s a smart term that makes more sense to me than "culturally sensitive" in relation to HIV/AIDS strategies for minority women. It becomes less about sensitivity and more about being effective.

The readings all attempt to understand the root causes of the high number of HIV/AIDS diagnoses in black women in Canada. They all come back to what seems to be a triad of reasons that have come up in most of the readings: gender, race and poverty or economic disadvantage. The quotation used above speaks to that and the challenges black women face on a day-to-day and what makes them vulnerable as group.

Josephs et. al’s intimate partner violence study was especially interesting to me because it addresses an issue that has come up a few times in the course, whici is the disadvantage many black women face in relationships and their lack of power when it comes to asserting the use of safe sex strategies. It was also the first, but not the last, of the readings to point out that current HIV/AIDS prevention strategies and campaigns are ineffective in black communities because they were mostly established in the 80s when the disease was socially constructed as a white, male, homosexual disease. Josephs’ study points to the need to move beyond those understandings of HIV/AIDS.

Josephs makes an assertion that rings true for this set of readings and for course itself when he writes, “Understanding the cultural factors that impact the spread of HIV is vital to the developing culturally competent intervention and prevention strategies,” (227). It is a theme that has emerged in the course and is one that seems to point the way for the next step in dealing with HIV/AIDS among black women, which is putting in place prevention strategies that speak directly to the realities of the lives of black women in North America. I’m interested to see if and when that step will be taken by policy makers and AIDS community workers.