By Brandon Whitney

From the thirties till the seventies an experiment on African American men  took place.  African American men infected with Syphilis were observed so that scientist could track how the disease progressed in Blacks.  This experiment took place even after a cure was found which was not made available to the men.  It would be nice to believe that the racism that would lead scientist to experiment on African Americans has dissipated, however this is not the case.  In  East St. Louis and Baltimore  the federal government experimented with a sludge made of human waste as a tool for limiting lead exposure.

The neighborhoods used in the experiment were primarily African American.  Full disclosure of what was in the sludge used on lawns was not made.  Were it not for the freedom of information act we would not know what took place.  Vigilance is the price for freedom and equality.  We must always be on guard against those who would take advantage of the poor and disenfranchised.  We must also focus on those issues that are truly important to our communities.  Imus is a secondary concern next to environmental justice, access to educational resources, and protection from financial piracy. 

While we were distracted by BET uncut, Hot Ghetto Mess, and many other unimportant issues, the sub-prime loan industry destroyed our neighborhoods, pay day loan stores replaced banks in urban areas, and the quality of our schools declined.  Rather than focus on entertainment, perhaps we should focus on those things that affect the quality of lives of our children.

Brandon is the creator of Homelandcolors.blogspot.com a blog that focuses on issues that affect the African American community. He is also a frequent guest on News and Notes’ Blogger Roundtable. Brandon has political experience as an outreach director for the Democratic party and is passionate about being a positive force in his community.