Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T07:27:26.143Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

PRECIOUS

Black Women, Neighborhood HIV/AIDS Risk, and Institutional Buffers1

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 April 2011

Celeste Watkins-Hayes ,
Courtney J. Patterson  and
Amanda R. Armour
Celeste Watkins-Hayes*
Affiliation:
Departments of Sociology and African American Studies and Institute for Policy Research, Northwestern University
Courtney J. Patterson
Affiliation:
Department of African American Studies, Northwestern University
Amanda R. Armour
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Yale University
*
Celeste Watkins-Hayes, Departments of Sociology and African American Studies, Northwestern University, 1860 Campus Drive, Crowe 5-128 Evanston, IL 60208. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

This article posits that the response to the AIDS epidemic among Blacks in the United States must acknowledge structural and institutional realities that render poor Black urban neighborhoods particularly vulnerable to high HIV infection rates. The controversial film Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire, inspires our analysis, revealing the spatial context of HIV risk and suggesting new potential avenues through which to address the epidemic at the neighborhood level. In the film, we find opportunities for institutions to serve as intermediaries among neighborhoods, families, and individuals, not only to reduce the transmission of HIV, but also to improve health management for HIV-positive inner-city residents. The film points to three potential location-based sites of intervention: (1) mental health services that treat childhood sexual trauma; (2) HIV-related health messaging and services within urban street-level bureaucracies; and (3) neighborhood access to food and dietary resources that mitigate HIV disease progression.

Keywords

HIV/AIDSBlack WomenPovertySexual AbuseFood Access and UsageNeighborhoods
Type
Active Participants: Resistance to Racism
Information
Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race , Volume 8 , Issue 1: Special Issue: Racial Inequality and Health , Spring 2011 , pp. 229 - 240
Copyright
Copyright © W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

1

The authors thank Michelle Wright, Mary Pattillo, and anonymous reviewers for their comments and criticisms.

References

REFERENCES

Adimora, Adaora A. and Schoenbach, Victor J. (2005). Social Context, Sexual Networks, and Racial Disparities in Rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 191: S115–S122.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Allers, Christopher T. and Benjack, Karen J. (1991). Connections Between Childhood Abuse and HIV Infection. Journal of Counseling and Development, 70(2): 309–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arnold, Michael, Hsu, Ling, Pipkin, Sharon, McFarland, Willi, and Rutherford, George W. (2009). Race, Place and AIDS: The Role of Socioeconomic Context on Racial Disparities in Treatment and Survival in San Francisco. Social Science & Medicine, 69(1): 121–128.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Auerbach, Judith (2009). Transforming Social Structures and Environments to Help in HIV Prevention. Health Affairs, 28(6): 1655–1665.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barnes, Sandra (2005). The Cost of Being Poor: A Comparative Study of Life in Poor Urban Neighborhoods in Gary, Indiana. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berger, Michelle T. (2004). Workable Sisterhood: The Political Journey of Stigmatized Women with HIV/AIDS. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Boarradaile, K. E., Sherman, S., Veur, S. S. V., McCoy, T., Sandoval, B., Nachmani, J. et al. (2009). Snacking in Children: The Role of Urban Corner Stores. Pediatrics, 124: 1293–1298.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bogle, Donald (2006). Toms, Coons, Mulattos, Mammies, and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films, 4ed.New York: Continuum Press.Google Scholar
Bok, Marica and Simmons, Louise (2002). Post-Welfare Reform, Low-Income Families and the Dissolution of the Safety Net. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 23(3): 217–238.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Carioli, Carly (2009). Harvard to Offer Class on The Wire by William Julius Wilson. The Boston Phoenix. Oct 29. ⟨http://thephoenix.com/BLOGS/phlog/archive/2009/10/29/harvard-to-offer-class-on-the-wire-by-william-julius-wilson-omar-inducted-into-harvard-lampoon.aspx⟩ (accessed July 15, 2010)Google Scholar
Cenè, Crystal, Akers, Aletha, Lloyd, Stacey, Albritton, Tashuna, Hammond, Wizdom Powell, and Corbie-Smith, Giselle (2011). Understanding Social Capital and HIV Risk in Rural African American Communities. Journal of General Internal Medicine, Online First, February 10, 2011. ⟨http://www.springerlink.com/content/e1033t25g049752n/⟩ (accessed February 15, 2011).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cohen, Cathy (1999). The Boundaries of Blackness: AIDS and the Breakdown of Black Politics. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, Mardge, Deamant, Catherine, Barkan, Susan, Richardson, Jean, Young, Mary, Holman, Susan, Anastos, Kathryn, Cohen, Judith, and Melnick, Sandra (2000). Domestic Violence and Childhood Sexual Abuse in HIV-Infected Women and Women at Risk for HIV. American Journal of Public Health, 90(4): 560–565.Google ScholarPubMed
Cohen, Mary Ann, Alfonso, Cesar A., Hoffman, Rosalind G., Milau, Victoria, and Carrera, Gloria (2001). Letters to the Editor: The Impact of PTSD on Treatment Adherence in Persons with HIV Infection. General Hospital Psychiatry, 23: 294–295.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cummins, Steven and Macintyre, Sally (2006). Food Environments and Obesity—Neighborhood or Nation? International Journal of Epidemiology, 35(1): 100–104.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Drake, Brett and Pandey, Shanta (1996). Understanding the Relationship between Neighborhood Poverty and Specific Types of Child Maltreatment. Child Abuse and Neglect, 20(11): 1003–1018.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Farmer, Paul, Connors, Margaret, and Simmons, Janie (Eds.) (1996). Women, Poverty, and AIDS: Sex, Drugs and Structural Violence. Monroe, ME: Common Courage Press.Google Scholar
Forbes, A. (1993). Crack Cocaine and HIV: How National Drug-Addiction-Treatment Deficits Fan the Pandemic's Flames. AIDS & Public Policy Journal, 8(1): 44–52.Google Scholar
Freeman, Gregory D., Sullivan, Kathleen, and Fulton, C. Ray. (2003). Effects of Creative Drama on Self-Concept, Social Skills, and Problem Behavior. The Journal of Educational Research, 96(3): 131–138.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
French, Simone A., Jeffrey, Robert W., Story, Mary, Hannan, Peter, and Snyder, M. Patricia (1997). A Pricing Strategy to Promote Low-Fat Snack Choices through Vending Machines. American Journal of Public Health, 87: 849–851.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Freudenberg, Nicholas and Ramaswamy, Megha (2009). The Impact of Incarceration on the Health of African Americans. In Braithwaite, Ronald L., Taylor, Sandra E., Treadwell, Henrie M. (Eds.), Health Issues in the Black Community, pp. 209–229. San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.Google Scholar
Fullilove, M. T., Golden, E., Fullilove, R. E., Lennon, R., Porterfield, D., Schwarcz, S., and Bolan, G. (1993). Crack Cocaine Use and High-Risk Behaviors among Sexually Active Black Adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health, 14(4): 295–300.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Geyskens, Kelly, Dewitte, Siegried, Pandelaere, Mario, and Warlop, Luk (2008). Tempt Me Just a Little Bit More: The Effect of Prior Food Temptation Actionability on Goal Activation and Consumption. Journal of Consumer Research, 35: 600–610.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gilbert, Dorie J. and Wright, Ednita M. (2003). African American Women and HIV/AIDS: Critical Responses. Westport, CT: Praeger Press.Google Scholar
Grinstead, Olga, Zack, Barry, and Faigeles, Bonnie (2001). Reducing Postrelease Risk Behavior among HIV Seropositive Prison Inmates: The Health Promotion Program. AIDS Education and Prevention, 13(2): 109–119.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Haddad, Lawrence and Gillespie, Stuart (2001). Effective Food and Nutrition Policy Responses to HIV/AIDS: What We Know and What We Need to Know. In Food Consumption and Nutrition Division. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute.Google Scholar
Hammett, Theodore M., Gaiter, Juarlyn L., and Crawford, Cheryl (1998). Reaching Seriously At-Risk Populations: Health Interventions in Criminal Justice Settings. Health Education and Behavior, 25(1): 99–120.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hammonds, Evelynn (2004). Black (W)holes and the Geometry of Black Female Sexuality. In Bobo, J., Hudley, C., and Michel, C., (Eds.), The Black Studies Reader, pp. 301–314. New York: Routledge.Google Scholar
Hodder, Sally L., Justman, Jessica, Haley, Danielle F., Adimora, Adaora A., Fogel, Catherine I., Golin, Carol E., O'Leary, Ann, Soto-Torres, Lydia, Wingood, Gina, and El-Sadr, Wafaa M. (2010). Challenges of a Hidden Epidemic: HIV Prevention among Women in the United States. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, 55(Supplement 2): S69–S73.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jencks, Christopher and Mayer, Susan (1990). The Social Consequences of Growing Up in a Poor Neighborhood. In Lynn, L. E. and McGeary, M. F. H. (Eds.), Inner-City Poverty in the United States, pp. 111–186. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Google Scholar
Kaplan, Mark S. (1995). Feminization of the AIDS Epidemic. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 22(2): 5–21.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kim, A., Page-Shafer, K., Ruiz, J., Reyes, L., Delgado, W., Klausner, J., Molitor, F., Katz, M., and McFarland, W. (2002). Vulnerability to HIV Among Women Formerly Incarcerated and Women with Incarcerated Sexual Partners. AIDS and Behavior, 6(4): 331–338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
King, Deborah (1988). Multiple Jeopardy, Multiple Consciousness: The Context of a Black Feminist Ideology. Signs, 14(1): 42–72.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kruzich, Laurie A., Marquis, Grace S., Wilson, Craig M., and Stephenson, Charles B.. (2004). Obesity and Poor Diet Quality: A Challenge for Improving Short- and Long-Term Health Outcomes. Journal of the American Dietitic Association, 104(10): 1554–1560.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kwate, Naa Oyo A. (2008). Fried Chicken and Fresh Apples: Racial Segregation as a Fundamental Cause of Fast Food Density in Black Neighborhoods. Health & Place, 14(1): 32–44.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leserman, Jane, Whetten, Kathryn, Lowe, Kristin, Stangl, Dalene, Swartz, Marvin, and Thielman, Nathan M. (2005). How Trauma, Recent Stressful Events, and PTSD Affect Functional Health Status and Health Utilization in HIV-Infected Patients in the South. Psychosomatic Medicine, 67(3): 500–507.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Leventhal, Tama and Brooks-Gunn, Jeanne (2000). The Neighborhoods They Live In: The Effects of Neighborhood Residence on Child and Adolescent Outcomes. Psychological Bulletin, 126(2): 309–337.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Linnan, Laura and Ferguson, Yvonne (2007). Beauty Salons: A Promising Health Promotion Setting for Reaching and Promoting Health Among African-American Women. Health Education and Behavior, 34(3): 517–30.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mahadevan, Meena and Fisher, Celia (2010). Factors Influencing the Nutritional Health and Food Choices of African American HIV-Positive Marginally Housed and Homeless Female Substance Abusers. Applied Developmental Science, 14(2): 72–88.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Massey, Douglas (2004). Segregation and Stratification: A Biosocial Perspective. DuBois Review: Social Science Research on Race, 1(1): 7–25.Google Scholar
Moisio, Risto, Arnould, Eric J., and Price, Linda L. (2004). Between Mothers & Markets: Constructing Family Identity through Homemade Food. Journal of Consumer Culture, 4(3): 361–384.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mosack, Katie E., Weinhardt, Lance S., Kelly, Jeffrey A., Gore-Felton, Cheryl, McAuliffe, Timothy L., Johnson, Mallory O., Remien, Robert H., Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane, Ehrhardt, Anke A., Chesney, Margaret A., and Morin, Stephen F. (2009). Influence of Coping, Social Support, and Depression on Subjective Health Status among HIV-Positive Adults with Different Sexual Identities. Behavioral Medicine, 34(4): 133–144.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parker, Richard G., Easton, Delia, and Klein, Charles H. (2000). Structural Barriers and Facilitators in HIV Prevention: A Review of International Research. AIDS, 14(supplement): S22–S32.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roux, Ana V. Diez (2001). Investigating Neighborhood and Area Effects on Health. American Journal of Public Health. 91(11): 1783–1789.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siefert, Kristine, Heflin, Colleen M., Corcoran, Mary E., and Williams, David R. (2001). Food Insufficiency and the Physical and Mental Health of Low-Income Women. Women and Health, 32(1-2): 159–177.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Small, Mario (2009). Unanticipated Gains: Origins of Network Inequality in Everyday Life. New York: Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Treichler, Paula (1999). How to Have Theory in an Epidemic: Cultural Chronicles of AIDS. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.Google Scholar
Uddin, Monica, Aiello, Allison E., Windman, Derek E., Koenen, Karestan C., Pawelec, Graham, Santos, Regina de los, Goldmann, Emily, and Galea, Sandro (2010). Epigenetic and Immune Function Profiles Associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107(20): 9470–9475.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2009). HIV/AIDS among African Americans. CDC HIV/AIDS Fact Sheet. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2010). New CDC Analysis Reveals Strong Link between Poverty and HIV Infection: New Study in Low-Income Heterosexuals in America's Inner Cities Reveals High HIV Rates. Press Release, July 19, 2010. ⟨http://www.cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/povertyandhivpressrelease.html⟩ (accessed July 29, 2010).Google Scholar
Voisin, Dexter (2005). The Relationship between Violence Exposure and HIV Sexual Risk Behaviors: Does Gender Matter? American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 75(4): 497–506.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Watkins-Hayes, Celeste (2009). The New Welfare Bureaucrats: Entanglements of Race, Class, and Policy Reform. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Watkins-Hayes, Celeste, Pittman, LaShawnDa, and Beaman, Jean (2011). “Dying From” to “Living With” HIV/AIDS: Framing Institutions and the Coping Processes of Infected Black Women. Unpublished Manuscript, Department of Sociology, Northwestern University.Google Scholar
White House Office of National AIDS Policy. National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States. July 2010. ⟨http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/eop/onap/nhas/⟩ (accessed July 29, 2010).Google Scholar
Wilson, William J. (1987). The Truly Disadvantaged: The Inner City, the Underclass, and Public Policy. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Wyatt, Gail, Myers, Hector F., Williams, John K., Kitchen, Christina Ramirez, Loeb, Tamra, Carmona, Jennifer Vargas, Wyatt, Lacey E., Chin, Dorothy, and Presley, Nicole (2002). Does a History of Trauma Contribute to HIV Risk for Women of Color? Implications for Prevention and Policy. American Journal of Public Health, 92(4): 660–665.CrossRefGoogle Scholar