In 1932, the U.S. government withheld syphilis treatment for 600 Black men in Tuskegee, Alabama, to study the effects of the disease.
The infamous experiment has since loomed in the American conscience as the prime documented portrayal of racism in the medical field. And it has been raised repeatedly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disproportionately affected people of color.
Dr. Deanah Maxwell Stafford grew up in Tuskegee and is now vaccinating patients against the coronavirus there. She speaks with Here & Now‘s Tonya Mosley about how she is helping residents overcome hesitancy.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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