Eradicating HIV/AIDS, racism and inequality in the Deep South: An Afrocentric conceptual framework of equality

Abstract

HIV/AIDS has been a public health crisis since the 1980s yet people of African descent that live in the southern region of the United States are more likely to not receive treatment for this disease. This work has four goals. The first goal is to discuss the social determinants that contribute to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Deep South. The second goal is to discuss the Afrocentric paradigm that promotes cultural pride and Black empowerment. The third goal is to provide a paradigm that details how racial inequalities perpetuate. The final goal is to provide recommendations regarding how the Afrocentric paradigm can help eradicate health disparities for people of African ancestry that reside in the Southern region of the United States.

Keywords:

• African Americans
• Afrocentric paradigm
• AIDS
• conceptual framework
• Deep South
• HIV
• HIV inequality
• stigma

Notes

1 Throughout this text, we use the term “people of African descent” or “Black” to refer to people of the African Diaspora, and to such populations that reside within the United States. In other cases, we use the term African American to refer to a subgroup within the larger Black community. Furthermore, we capitalize the term Black to distinguish this racial category and related identity from the color. Similarly, we capitalize the word White when referring to race.

2 PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) can reduce an individual’s chance of getting HIV from sex or injection drug use (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, n.d.). 

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.