From Epidemic to Extinction: HIV/AIDS Amongst African-Americans
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), "African-Americans account for about half (49%) of the people who get HIV and AIDS". The CDC website also states, "Blacks with AIDS often don't live as long as people of other races and ethnic groups with AIDS". Enough is enough! Looking at these statistics made me think about extinction. Now Webster's Dictionary defines extinction as "The process of eliminating or reducing a conditioned response by not reinforcing it". Let's think about this definition for a minute or rephrase it. Extinction is a way to wipe out or destroy a certain species' way of thinking, survival, or existence. Referring to the later part of the definition, I got another revelation after reading it a few times. It made me think about how at one time the structure of the African-American family was very strong and important. I thought about how prevalent the fathers were back in the day. It was...