To Make the Wounded Whole: The African American Struggle Against HIV/AIDS

Justice, Power, and Politics

by Royles

In the decades since it was identified in 1981, HIV/AIDS has devastated African American communities. Members of those communities mobilized to fight the epidemic and its consequences from the beginning of the AIDS activist movement. They struggled not only to overcome the stigma and denial surrounding a "white gay disease" in Black America, but also to bring resources to struggling communities that were often dismissed as too "hard to reach."

To Make the Wounded Whole offers the first history of African American AIDS activism in all of its depth and breadth. Dan Royles introduces a diverse constellation of activists, including medical professionals, Black gay intellectuals, church pastors, Nation of Islam leaders, recovering drug users, and Black feminists who pursued a wide array of grassroots approaches to slow the epidemic's spread and address its impacts. Through interlinked stories from Philadelphia and Atlanta to South Africa and back again, Royles documents the diverse, creative, and global work of African American activists in the decades-long battle against HIV/AIDS.

Genres: LGBT, Nonfiction

328 pages, Paperback

Published September 14, 2020

Reviews

[Sarah Schulman]

I enjoyed this book and recommend it, especially for the chapter on Kemron and the Nation of Islam. The claims of the title are waayyy too broad, however. This tells some stories and supplements other scholarship by Kevin Mumford, Marty Duberman, Linda Villarosa, Steven Thrasher, Darius Bost and many others. Royles strength is in looking at pushback within the fight against Black HIV/AIDS: He gives us Black organizers resisting racial exclusion by whites, Black gay men pushing back against homophobia, and Black women pushing back against Black male organizations that did not serve women, also unveiling surprises of support and solidarity. But there is so so so much more.

[Scott Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

To date, blacks in America continue to suffer disproportionately in proportion from HIV infections. HIV has always preyed most on those marginalized from society, and American blacks are included in that recipe. Although many associate HIV as a gay man's disease, black women have come to suffer more in recent years. How are we to know and understand these stories? Dan Royles shares it through seven distinct angles.

The perspectives include that of black sexuality in Philadelphia, the black identity and multiculturalism, black gay men, the Nation of Islam's proposed (but ultimately failed) AIDS cure, the black church, the link between activism in Philadelphia and globalized HIV treatment, and black women's intersectionality. Because the stories are so varied, rich, and profound, each will resonate with a reader to a degree in their own way. For me, the story of the Balm in Gilead ministry in the black church was the most interesting, followed by a proposed, but ultimately failed AIDS cure from the Nation of Islam.

Because of the complexity in social and scientific issues, I love studying about HIV/AIDS. I've known that black communities have been affected by HIV more historically and today, but this book has nurtured that knowledge into a deeper appreciation of the experience. As a white man, I appreciate the complexities involved in this community's struggles with a horrific disease.

The quick answer for this book's audience includes those interested in HIV or those interested in the black identity. More broadly, though, those who, like me, like learning about marginalized communities and difficult challenges will also appreciate this book. Studying complex social phenomena, even when we don't understand everything, will only make dealing with simple cases much easier. This book offers a breadth that will challenge almost every reader and deserves consideration from any reader seeking to broaden themselves.

[shejuti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow I learned so much from this book! The most eye-opening chapters were on the fight against medical apartheid from South Africa to Philly, the Nation of Islam, and Black men loving Black men as a revolutionary act. To think everything comes back to fighting against these systems of oppression and restoring the power back to the people, and how the daunting nature of these oppressive forces does not stop activists from doing everything in their reach to help their communities, because the government/system historically does not do that work on its own accord!

It was so interesting to read about all the different routes activists had to take to combat homophobia, racism, classism, and capitalism — all separate but linked battles being fought at the same time to reach the people being failed by current systems. So many fronts had to be fought to increase AIDS education and safe sex for communities, reduce insurance and healthcare inequities within the nation due to class, as well as target international trade policy that restricted HIV care access across developing nations. The stories told in this book reflect the larger global fight against neoliberalism and how individuals who recognize the need for change have stepped up in history and do not receive enough recognition, when even today the stereotype image of a gay rights activist is a white middle class gay man. Learning about the grassroots efforts and protests for radical change from Black organizers to tackle issues that disproportionately affect their community was definitely worth the read and can help direct the ongoing struggles for change today.

[Adina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed how this monograph considered this topic from different but related angles.