How AIDS and Accusations Fueled A Plague Of Lies

Before the 1980s, members of 4-H Clubs knew that the term stood for “head, heart, hands, and health.” But when HIV appeared in the 1980s, the CDC created a different 4H club, one that wrongly associated the disease with “hemophiliacs, heroin users, homosexuals, and Haitians.” But instead of being helpful, the term caused a panic.

Haitians were the only national group that was singled out and blamed for the spread of AIDS. Haitians, who made the dangerous trip to the United States hoping to find safety and opportunity, were stigmatized and vilified when they should have been welcomed.

Health officials interrogated Haitians with questions like “are you homosexual?” “Are you an IV drug user?” And with many Haitians not being able to speak English and most medical professionals not speaking Haitian Creole, language barriers led to discrimination based on the mistaken assumption that Haitians were carrying and spreading the virus.

By the time the CDC admitted that it was a “mistake to label all Haitians as having a higher risk of AIDS, the damage was done. Haiti’s economy was hit hard; in 1982, its tourism industry decreased by 80%, and international trade with the U.S. was cut off.

Nothing can compare to how sickening the racist stigmas surrounding Haitians and HIV/AIDS were, and the discrimination against Haitians continues. We must stand in solidarity with the Haitian people and stop these lies once and for all.