African-Americans face a double edged sword. The majority of blacks encounter racial problems when initially applying for jobs. When the idea of AIDS is added to the spectrum the chances for discrimination greatly increase. According to John Pryor, author of The Social Psychology of HIV Infections, an African-American with AIDS is less likely to be employed than a white with AIDS holding the same criteria (Pryor 45). The discrimination does not end with the workforce. People with AIDS even face discriminatory business practices. A person with AIDS is more likely to require insurance for his or her family due to the onset of illness. Insurance companies bracket AIDS victims as a serious liability (Pryor 56). In some cases many companies may refuse to cover a person with AIDS. Without insurance, many victims may not be able to afford the help they may need to fight the deadly disease. An AIDS victim's problems may even extended into his or her personal life. .
In the family the AIDS victim is often shunned and emotionally severed from the .
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very line that may have offered needed emotional support. Even for those families that support their loved ones, the process of coping is a long and sinuous journey. Many families watch their beloved die a slow painful death. If the victim is a parent, there are lifetime emotional and physiological consequences for the children and others that are left behind. In the African-American family the situation is sometimes worsened through ignorance. Many blacks are not formally educated on the methods of transmission of AIDS. Many stereotypes and misconceptions bar blacks from emotionally comforting their family members due to fears that they may contract the illness (Jenkins 87). In the African-American family the church plays a major role in the mistreatment of AIDS victims.
John Barlett, in his article "AIDS in minorities," says "Instead of showing the victims the support they may need to cope with their disease, the African-American church often shuns its members" (Barlett 1).
