Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Miami Herald - June 11, 2006
Jacqueline Charles, jcharles@MiamiHerald.com
"They were being blamed for the epidemic," said Pierre, who witnessed the impact of AIDS on South Florida's Haitian community as a resident at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami -- and as an activist battling the stigma.
It was the mid-1980s, and Haitian refugees, fighting negative stereotypes while waging a campaign to remain legally in the United States, now had one more issue on their hands.
"People were victimized by that," Pierre said. "They lost their jobs. People were looked down on simply because they were Haitians."
At Jackson Memorial, the scene was equally disturbing, Pierre, 54, said.
'CULTURALLY SENSITIVE'
"Instead of saying a 47-year-old black male, they said a 47-year-old Haitian male," he said. "They took ethnicity and made it replace the race. There was this big urgency from doctors to make the news, publish research. They were ignoring the culturally sensitive issues."
Even though doctors used Creole-language translators, Pierre believes they didn't help. Many were middle-class and could not relate to their ailing counterparts -- who were often from poorer backgrounds.
Meanwhile, in the Haitian community, 'word spread quickly: 'Once you go to Jackson, they are going to say you have AIDS,' " Pierre said.
"Radio programs started advocating AIDS doesn't exist. People were ignoring the fact we were facing an epidemic. Haitians shied away from getting the appropriate information and saw the disease in conspiratorial terms rather than something they should be careful about."
Although Haitians have been dropped as a risk factor for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, Pierre said he will never forget the damage that was done.
"The impact has been tremendous in the community," he said.
A HELPING HAND
But not all is bleak.
As a result of the misinformation, in 1989 Pierre founded the Center for Haitian Studies in Little Haiti. Today, the center is the place where Haitians seek education and condoms.
"We've come a long way," Pierre said. "They are aware of the epidemic. We have radio programs we've developed. Now we can call people and they come openly to discuss their case. Early on, people would not come here. Women would not come in to get condoms. They felt they were not empowered."
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