Last month, Dr. Bill Jenkins passed away at age 73. The New York Times has written about his life’s work to improve the safety and health of African Americans and others, and highlights his role in bringing to light the horrors of the Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment. Teachers might want to share this obituary with students – it gives an excellent summary of the Tuskegee study, and illuminates the impact that one person had through a career of service to others, with a mission of fairness, equity and informed consent.
“He would go on to devote himself to trying to reduce disease and illness among African Americans and other people of color, in part by recruiting more such people into the public health professions.
He was one of the first researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to recognize how dramatically AIDS was affecting black men. He helped organize the first conference on AIDS in underserved neighborhoods and became the C.D.C.’s director of AIDS prevention for minorities.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/obituaries/bill-jenkins-dead.html