03-17-15-Clip 03-Politics of the U.S. Census-Global Black Feminist Reading Circle

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• published: 10 Apr 2015
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Politics of the U.S. Census - In this segment, Black Feminist Women ask: Do you believe the data collected today is used to benefit blacks (education and medical care) or is it used for some other not so obvious reasons? In this discussion, members focus on "Chapter 6 – Diagnosis: Freedom: The Civil War, Emancipation, and Fin de Siècle Medical Research," of our text, "Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present,” by Harriet A. Washington. Venita Goines Walker was the evening’s moderator. She was joined by co-hosts Randie Henderson and L. Michelle Odom, and members Geo Moses, Kim Brandon, Dawn Brawley and Edwina Marchenko. Summary: “Chapter 6 – Diagnosis: Freedom: The Civil War, Emancipation, and Fin de Siècle Medical Research,” takes a look at how statistical data and medical research were manipulated to prove Black inferiority, from the mid-1800s to the early days of the 1900s – a tendency, the author notes, that persists to this day. Washington reviews events surrounding the census of 1840, which identified a high number of mentally ill Black people, but was filled with many errors and intentional falsehoods. Used to bolster support for slavery during its dying days, the analysis was used to demonstrate blacks were not capable of managing the demands of freedom, but were uniquely qualified to endure the harsh conditions of slavery. Equally harsh conditions plagued Black people during the Emancipation era, and disease and death were rampant. By the turn of the century, the tune had changed dramatically, as Blacks were then judged too diseased, weak and feeble-minded to survive, and many ventured to predict African Americans would be extinct by the year 2000. These attitudes now lent support to the idea that proper medical care, housing and nutrition would be wasted on this dying population. In the face of this attitude of neglect, Black doctors such as Daniel Hale Williams, Alonzo McClennan and Matilda Evans opened inadequately resourced hospitals in the late 1800s and early 1900s, in valiant attempts to meet overwhelming needs. Music: U.S. Army Blues, “Bayou Farewell,” “Live at the Blues Alley,” FreeMusicArchive.org -------------------------------------------------------------- The Global Black Feminist Reading Circle f/k/a “The National Black Feminist Book Group,” began Session 3 January 20, 2015 and will run through June 9, 2015. Our first selection of the year is Harriet A. Washington’s “Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial Times to the Present.” Members L. Michelle Odom and Randie Henderson, co-hosts. To catch up on issues discussed in Sessions 1 and 2, please see our video archives at YouTube. The weekly group meets on Tuesdays at 6:30 pm EST. Readers and conversationalists are welcome to join us in the discussion online at Google+ Hangouts on Air or watch the live event on YouTube. Join The Global Black Feminist Reading Circle (community) on Google+ to receive invitations to the weekly Hangout, and access other documents of the group. To facilitate a group session on one of the chapters, contact OurBlackStory@gmail.com. ----------------------------- Email: CONTACT OurBlackStory@gmail.com Google+: JOIN - The Global Black Feminist Reading Circle (Community) https://plus.google.com/b/116212551167955184069/communities/109823766431320278457 Youtube: SUBSCRIBE to The Global Black Feminist Reading Circle's page and view videos - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsFZtlDNDRuDwZWyZVqy_rg LIKE us on Facebook, where we will re-post group news, topics, videos, etc. Https://www.facebook.com/BlackFeministBooks?ref_type=bookmark #GlobalBlackFeministReadingCircle #MedicalApartheid #RealPeopleRealTalk A Reading For Change Production. Reading OurStory…together.