Fall 2018 Research Project from my Multicultural Class. The presentation talks on historical and current events which has caused mistrust among the Black Community in regards to the medical, mental health and overall health fields. At the end of the presentations are important key tips counselors should take in to consideration when working with Black clients. My partner for the project is Shaletha Robinson. Inside the presentation are reference links to the Henrietta Lacks case.

1. Shaletha Robinson
&
Shanika Robinson
Multicultural Counseling
October 20, 2018
Counseling
African- Americans

2. Historical and Current Social Justice Issues Affecting the Trust and
Confidence African- Americans Have with the Health System
Counseling
African- Americans 2

3. J. Marion Sims Slave Experiments
Counseling
African- Americans 3
 Montgomery, Alabama in 1845.
 Performed gynecological
experiments on slave women
without consent.
 Believed slave deaths were the
fault of the patient and not himself
 Believed slaves were less
intelligent and had a higher
tolerance for pain than White
People
 Some slaves had over 30
experiments performed on them
 No record of patient survivals

4. The Tuskegee Syphilis Study
Counseling
African- Americans 4
 Tuskegee, Alabama in 1932.
 600 Black Men were involved in a study
that supposedly was to study “bad blood”
 The men were promised free medical
exams, free life insurance, and free meals
 The “bad blood” explanation was a lie. The
men were being injected with Syphilis
without their knowledge so doctors could
study the progression of the disease
 The cure of penicillin was withheld from
patients
 Study lasted 40 years
 28 men died of the disease and over a 100
died of disease-related complications

5. Henrietta Lacks & Elsie Lacks
Counseling
African- Americans 5
 Baltimore, Maryland in 1951
 Henrietta Lacks is admitted to Johns Hopkins
Hospital where she is diagnosed with cancer
 Her cells were sent to the laboratory where Dr.
George Gey discovered they multiplied on
their own outside the body
 Henrietta was not informed of this discovery
and died shortly thereafter
 Henrietta’s cells were used without her
consent or the family’s knowledge until the
1970s.
 Today, known as the HeLa Cell, the cells have
been used for the creation of the Polio
vaccine, blood type identification, Ebola
studies, HIV/AIDS studies, HPV, Measles,
Mumps, cancer treatements and other medical
research

6. Henrietta Lacks & Elsie Lacks
Counseling
African- Americans 6
 Oldest daughter of Henrietta Lacks
 Admitted to the Crownsville Mental
Hospital shortly after Henrietta was
admitted to John Hopkins for cancer
 Diagnosed with “idiocy” and mental
retardation
 Possibly subjected to numerous
mental health experiments including
ice baths, shock therapy, hepatitis
testing and lobotomy
 Died in Crownsville Mental Health
Hospital at the age of 14 due to
performed medical experiments

7. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Movie Trailer Clip
Counseling
African- Americans 7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-jxEX1XQpY

8. Johns Hopkins Henrietta Lacks Awareness Program
Counseling
African- Americans 8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPLSp7Tf3bw

9. The Henrietta Lacks Story
Counseling
African-Americans
9
 Author is Rebecca Skloot who spent time with
the family of Henrietta Lacks
 Skloot is the founder and president of The
Henrietta Lacks Foundation, which has been
featured in the New York Times. She has a
B.S. in biological sciences and an MFA in
creative nonfiction. She financed her degrees
by working in emergency rooms, neurology
labs, veterinary morgues and martini bars. She
has taught creative writing and science
journalism at the University of California
Berkeley, New York University, University of
Memphis, and the University of Pittsburgh
 John Hopkins holds a yearly event with
Henrietta’s family members to educate the
public on HeLa and Henrietta. Tickets sell out
each year
 http://rebeccaskloot.com/the-immortal-life/
 https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/henriettalack
s/index.html
 http://henriettalacksfoundation.org/

10. African-American Women and Maternity
(Today’s Crisis)
Counseling
African- Americans 10
 African- American Women are three
times more likely to die in childbirth
than any other group of women
 African-American mothers who have
survived birth state that doctors and
nurses were negligent in maternal ,
labor and post-natal care
 Tennis Star , Serena Williams, spoke
to the public about her neglect from
doctors
 In Texas, the rate of African-American
mothers dying in childbirth doubled
between 2010 and 2012 with 148
women dying in labor

11. African-American Women and Maternity
(Today’s Crisis)
Counseling
African- Americans 11
According to the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC)
Considerable racial disparities in pregnancy-
related mortality exist. During 2011-2014, the
pregnancy-related mortality ratios were:
 12.4 deaths per 100,000 live births for
white women.
 40.0 deaths per 100,000 live births for
black women.
 17.8 deaths per 100,000 live births for
women of other races.

12. African-American
Counseling Suggestions and Tips
“Sankofa” is an African word from the Akan tribe in Ghana. The literal translation of the
word and the symbol is “it is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind.” Teaches us
that we must go back to our roots in order to move forward. That is, we should reach back
and gather the best of what our past has to teach us, so that we can achieve our full potential
as we move forward. Whatever we have lost, forgotten, forgone, or been stripped of can be
reclaimed, revived, preserved, and perpetuated.
Counseling
African-Americans 12

13. African-American
Counseling Suggestions and Tips
Counseling
African-Americans 13
 Recognize the importance of spirituality in the
African-American community. The Black church
often functions as a religious, social, and political
hub fostering community. Support systems
within the church often help to contribute to
resilience of African-Americans
 Understand the importance of family and
extended family within the Africa-American
community. Kinship bonds critical in offering
support to individuals. It Takes a Village.
 Cultural Sensitivity. One of the most important
counselor characteristics for African-Americans
is cultural sensitivity. Counselors who
acknowledge the possibility that race or culture
might play a role in a client’s problems are seen
as more competent than cultural- blind
counselors.

14. African-American
Counseling Suggestions and Tips
Counseling
African-Americans 14
 The African-American/Black Community is a
Disapora with multiple cultures. Not all
members of the community have beginnings in
the U.S. Many of the members in this community
are from Africa, the Caribbean, Brazil, Canada,
etc. Respect sub-cultural differences. There is
great diversity
 African-American identity will vary among
individual members. Some are pre-encounter
level and are less likely to discuss racial
identification while others are at later stages
such as immersion and internalization and will
discuss discrimination and importance of racial
and cultural pride
 Overall , the entire community has a deep sense
of pride and positive racial, cultural and ethnic
identity

15. African-American
Counseling Suggestions and Tips
Counseling
African-Americans 15
 Being Culturally Competent is an important
factor for African-American clients regardless of
the race of the counselor
 Establish an Egalitarian Relationship with the
client. Many African-Americans are comfortable
establishing a close personal connection with
the counselor. Self—disclosing and discussing
some non-counseling topics may be helpful.
African-American clients respect authenticity and
genuineness in their therapist
 Overall , the entire community has a deep sense
of pride and positive ethnic identity
 Work with the client to determine interventions.
Collaborate. Don’t be afraid to incorporate
alternative treatment approaches in they will be
beneficial