Reclaiming Our Future - Black Youth Project

More documents

Recommendations

Info

»12Reclaiming Our FutureYoung Folks and SexEvery year, the U.S. CDC surveys the “riskbehavior” of high school and college-agedyouth on things ranging from diet to violence.On sexual activity, the survey found that sincethe early 1990s teens increasingly have had lesssex and done it safer. There have been distinctracial differences in the trends, however.African Americans report having more sex,at an earlier age than any other group…And within the racial categories, there aredistinct gender differences. Black males reportfar more sexual activity than Black females…And within the racial categories, there aredistinct gender differences. Black males reportfar more sexual activity than Black females…Black youth who reported ever havingsexual encounters, 2003:8070605040302073.860.9Youth who reported ever having sexualencounters, 2003:80706050403067.351.441.8100Black youth who reported having morethan four lifetime partners, 2003:45403530Male41.7Female2025100Black Latino White20151016.3Youth who reported more than four lifetimepartners, 2003:35302520151028.815.710.850Black youth who reported having sex bythe age of 13, 2003:4540353025Male41.7Female50Black Latino White20151016.3Youth who reported having sex by the ageof 13, 2003:20181614121086420198.34.2Black Latino White50MaleFemaleWe will require far more qualitative researchon teen sexual behavior to understandboth the racial and gender disparities—andwhat they mean for controlling STDs.Source: CDC. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance—United States, 2003. Morbidity and Mortality WeeklyReport. May 21, 2004.
Sex and the Epidemic 13Fact and Fantasy inYouth SexUnfortunately, much of the discussion thatdoes focus on Black adolescents and youngadults paints exaggerated and hostile depictionsof their sexual attitudes and practices.Whether it be the demeaning representationsof Black women and men found in toomany hip hop videos, or the biting criticismspewed by celebrities and commentatorssuch as Bill Cosby and Bill O’Reilly, Blackyouth and their decisions about sex areusually presented as wrong, immoral anddangerous.Too often, these stories and myths aboutBlack youth and their sexual decision-makingare then used to justify the adoption of policiesthat do more harm than good. Until weare ready to both discover and acknowledgethe facts surrounding teen sexuality, bothamong African Americans and at large, we’llnever begin to address its negative consequences—particularlyHIV.So what do we actually know about thesexual behaviors of African American youth?The research reveals contradictory and sometimesdisturbing patterns.Every year, the U.S. Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention (CDC) surveys highschool and college-aged youth on their “riskbehavior” in areas ranging from diet to violence,and including sex. The Youth Risk BehaviorSurveillance survey consistently showsthat African American male and female teenagersare more likely to report sexual activitythan their white and Latino counterparts.Black respondents more often report havinghad sexual intercourse, having had four ormore sex partners and having initiated sexualintercourse before the age of 13. 3These facts, however, do not necessarilymean Black youth are more likely to putthemselves at risk. When CDC asks studentsabout measures they take to protectthemselves, it becomes clear that the sexuallandscape of teen life requires a more nuancedanalysis to understand. While Blackyoung people report more sexual encountersthan their counterparts, they are also morelikely to report both having used condomsand having had open communication with anadult family member about AIDS. They arealso less likely to report having used drugs oralcohol during their last sexual encounter. 4Still, African American youth ultimatelysee more adverse outcomes to their sexualbehavior. Our youth may be more likely tosay they protect themselves, but they’re stillmore likely to contract sexually transmitteddiseases such as Chlamydia and HIV. Teenpregnancy may be going down, but the racialdisparity persists.These sorts of conflicting reports onBlack youth sexual attitudes and behaviorillustrate that quantitative research, whileimportant, is insufficient. It is critical that wepush beyond the statistics to understand themultiple factors that contribute to the differingsexual behaviors and attitudes of youngAfrican Americans. Is there a gap betweenwhat young people, of all races, say and do?When youth use condoms, are they usingthem correctly? In what social contexts aredecisions about “risk” made?While unsafe sex increases one’s likelihoodof contracting HIV or getting pregnant,youth often experience competing concernsand pressures in far more immediate waysthan such distant threats—particularly youngpeople in poor communities. As one researcherwrote in her 2004 study of youth andrisk, “Urban minority adolescents reportedhigh levels of worry about AIDS, but theyreported equal or greater concerns about havingenough money to live on, general health,doing well in school, getting pregnant, andgetting hurt in a street fight.” 5Any number of these pressures cantrump concerns about protection from anSTD, no matter how virulent. Moreover,
Page 1 and 2: ReclaimingOur FutureThe State of AI
Page 3: Table of Contents5Chapter OneIntert
Page 7 and 8: Intertwined Epidemics 7The Hot Spot
Page 9: Intertwined Epidemics 9exacerbate t
Page 14 and 15: »14 The Time Is NowCondomsWhile Af
Page 16 and 17: »The16 HIV/AIDS and Black Americaa
Page 18 and 19: 18 HIV/AIDS and Black AmericaNotes1
Page 20 and 21: 20 Reclaiming Our FutureKanye West
Page 22 and 23: 22 Reclaiming Our Future
Page 25 and 26: Too Many Unknowns 25and sterilizing
Page 27 and 28: Too Many Unknowns 27The New Drug on
Page 29 and 30: Too Many Unknowns 29Notes1. CDC. Yo
Page 31 and 32: CHAPTER FOURPinned Down, Locked UpP
Page 34 and 35: »34 Reclaiming Our Futuremay make
Page 36 and 37: »36 Reclaiming Our FutureThe Epide
Page 40 and 41: »40 Reclaiming Our FutureWhatParen
Page 42 and 43: »42 The Time Is NowWhat Our Kids A
Page 44 and 45: 44 Reclaiming Our FutureDelay the I
Page 48 and 49: »48 Reclaiming Our FutureHip Hop a
Page 50 and 51: 50 Reclaiming Our FutureAmerican ma
Page 52 and 53: 52 Reclaiming Our FutureAbout theBl

Reclaiming Our Future - Black Youth Project

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?