Unfair attacks on Springfield Haitians recall our disturbing past
By Dwayne Steward I am equal parts amazed and baffled by how often history repeats itself in this country. As I watched the viral popularity of the “eating cats and dogs” moment explode across the globe following the presidential debates on Sept.
10, I couldn’t help but be reminded that this isn’t the first time the American political system has unfairly and inaccurately sacrificed the Haitian community at the altar of political fodder.
In 1982, just a year after the first scientific article was published identifying the AIDS virus, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention named the “4-H’s” as the leading at-risk communities for HIV transmission: “Haitians, Hemophiliacs, Homosexuals and Heroin addicts.” Today the CDC would consider most of these terms culturally inappropriate and would definitely defy anyone labeling an entire racial demographic as a danger to the community for infectious disease transmission.
However, the damage was done. Many politicians, including President Ronald Reagan, were quoted using the “4-H’s” as a tool to perpetuate the misconception that HIV was only affecting a flawed minority.
