"The United States Public Health Service Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male” in Tuskegee and Macon County, Alabama: Searching for Answers

"The United States Public Health Service Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male” in Tuskegee and Macon County, Alabama: Searching for Answers 

Description:

Dr. Arvilla Payne-Jackson will be the first speaker. Descendants of the men victimized by the United States Public Health Service Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male that took place from 1932-1972 have many unanswered questions. Her presentation examines the precursors to the USPHS study, the underlying assumptions and philosophy that allowed the study to take place, what happened after the study ended, and the healing process the descendants have engaged in to overcome the trauma and impact of the study across generations.

Ms. Lillie Head, the second speaker, presents the aftermath of the study for the descendants of the men who were the subjects. The title of her talk is "Transforming the Legacy, Uplifting the Legacy of the United States Public Health Service Syphilis Study in Tuskegee/Macon County, Alabama, 1932-1972.  She will give a brief history of Voices for Our Fathers Legacy Foundation (VOFLF), the foundation established by and for descendants of the men who were victimized by the USPHS Syphilis Study.  She will conclude with showing the video, "Transforming the Legacy, In Honor and Remembrance."

Speakers:

Dr. Arvilla Payne-Jackson is a Professor of Anthropology and Linguistics in the Department of Sociology and Criminology at Howard University. She has a doctorate in Sociolinguistics from the University of Pennsylvania and post-graduate work in Anthropology at Catholic University. She has done extensive research in the area of medical anthropology, ethnographic evaluation for federal, state, and local non-profits, service learning projects and sociolinguistics. She has published numerous books and articles. She is currently working with the Voices for Our Fathers Legacy Foundation and the National Bioethics Center for Research and Health Care at Tuskegee University in Alabama to tell the untold stories of the men who were victimized by the longest non-therapeutic experiment in the history of the United States - the United States Public Health Service’s Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male, which took place from 1932-1972.

Ms. Lillie Head is President of the Voices for Our Fathers Legacy Foundation (VOFLF) and editor of the VOFLF Newsletter. The VOFLF is comprised of descendants of the men who were victimized by the USPHS Syphilis Study. Ms. Head is a retired teacher and educational consultant from Waterbury, Connecticut Public Schools. She has published articles about her father and the ramifications of the study in the Journal of Healthcare, Science and Humanities (Spring 2017) and the Journal of Ethics and Behavior (November-December 2012). Dr. Payne-Jackson will be working together with Ms. Head and descendant volunteers from VOFLF to tell the untold stories of the men and their descendants. The results of the project will be published in a book and professional journals.

ASL interpretation: Contact Erik Kjeldgaard at least 48 hours prior to the event if you require ASL interpretation or other accommodation for this event.

Location:  Charles Sumner School, corner of 17th St and M St NW, Washington, DC