The U.S. government is taking steps to repair of the damage done by the so-called Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment.
The study was first called the Tuskegee Study of Untreated Syphilis in the Negro Male. It started in 1932 and initially involved 600 Black men, 399 with syphilis and 201 who did not have the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Participants’ informed consent was not collected. Researchers told the men they were being treated for “bad blood,” a local term used to describe several ailments, including syphilis, anemia and fatigue.
In exchange for taking part in the study, the men received free medical exams, free meals and burial insurance, according to the CDC. By 1943, penicillin was the treatment of choice for syphilis and becoming widely available, but the participants in the study were not offered treatment. Equal Justice Initiative reports that 128 of the men died of syphilis or related complications, 40 wives were infected and 19 children were born with congenital syphilis.
In 1972, an Associated Press reporter exposed the experiment, a public outcry ensued and the “Tuskegee Syphilis Study” ended three months later. The men filed a lawsuit that resulted in a $9 million settlement, and then-President Bill Clinton formally apologized years later.
Still, the effects of the study linger to this day. According to the Associated Press, it’s routinely cited as a reason some African-Americans are reluctant to participate in medical research, or even go to the doctor for routine check-ups.
Now, the United States government is taking steps toward repair by investing in the education of descendants of the study’s victims. The CDC Foundation announced a scholarship program for descendants and is raising $5 million to support the Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation scholarships, an initiative by and for relatives of those who were violated in the experiment.
Scholarships are available to descendants who are graduating high school seniors who have applied and been accepted at an accredited two-year or four-year higher education institution and to college students working towards their undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degrees, according to the foundation. All applicants must have maintained a 3.0 point or better grade point average and have thoroughly completed the scholarship application.
Scholarship applications for the 2024-2025 academic year will be accepted through Friday, March 15. Click here for the application. Scholarship recipients will be notified in June.
Four scholarships were awarded by the Voices For Our Fathers Legacy Foundation in 2023, totaling $11,000.00, according to the nonprofit's website.
