HAITIANS AND AIDS: PROPAGANDA AND PANIC IN 1983 *THREAD*

Little Haiti, Miami (1983). In 1983, there were 111 cases of Haitians with HIV/AIDS in the US, about 6% of all US cases. This brought economic discrimination anns propaganda against Haitians in Miami and NY during a time of extreme panic about the disease.

A Haitian doctor explains that the classification of Haitians having AIDS is a fault by the AMA for failing to comminicate w the Haitian community and not consulting w Haitian doctors about the disease. A Haitian woman speaks to his point when asked about AIDS.

The Haitian Coalition on AIDS, a team of doctors who wanted the CDC to end its classification, said they quickly assumed Haitians are more susceptible to AIDS due of cultural differences and racism. The cases did not fit into the gay/drug use categories, so they were singled out.

The U of Miami doctor who made this classification blames the media for sensationalizing it in order to "warn the public", when the research was for doctors to know which populations are susceptible to AIDS.

Meanwhile, in Haiti, there were 153 AIDS cases reported in 1983. The Haitian government was trying to crack down on sex work to stop its spread. Its leader at the time, Papa Doc Duvalier, was a ruthless dictator who later made it illegal to mention HIV/AIDS in any capacity.

The CDC classification had a great impact on Haiti's economy. Tourism fell tremendously, w the owner of a ritzy hotel in Port-au-Prince explaining her issues and what other hotel owners plan to do.

While the Haitian government partially denied it, there were also crackdowns on gay/queer-friendly bars and hotels. A government official states that the crackdowns are more for surveillance, not to stop their congregating. Note the Western preception in this clip as well.

A Haitian teacher who lived in America for 15 years discusses the change he sees in the perception of his people. He states that the recent influx of reguees fleeing Papa Doc's regime + the CDC AIDS classification quickly changed the Haitian image from positive to negative.

Over time, the number of Haitian-born cases in the US has been on the steady decline since 1995, and has never risen to over 900 cases as of 2007, according to the NIH. There are estimates of about 140k-160k people living w HIV/AIDS in Haiti as of 2023, according to UNAIDS.