Description: Meg Vaillancourt reports that a disproportionate number of African Americans have been infected with the HIV/AIDS virus. Vaillancourt reports that higher rates of transmission in the African American community are due to behavioral factors. Vaillancourt analyzes the differences in AIDS transmission between the white community and the African American community. Footage of Denise Cartier-Bennia giving a talk on educating people about AIDS in the African American community. Vaillancourt quotes statistics concerning HIV/AIDS infection rates. Report is accompanied by footage of African American residents of Roxbury and footage from interviews with people on the street.
1:00:07: Visual: A reporter on conducts interviews with African American men and women. An African American man says that he is "scared to death." An African American woman says that she doesn't know if "it is stronger on the white end or if it's stronger on the black end." Another African American man at Downtown Crossing says that no African American stars have died of AIDS; that he fears the development of an"unwarranted stigma" on the African American community due to AIDS. Shots of African Americans walking on a commercial street. Meg Vaillancourt reports that a disproportionate number of African Americans have been diagnosed with AIDS in the US. V: A chart list statistics on screen. The statistics read that 25% of AIDS victims are African American. Vaillancourt reports that African Americans represent 12% of the population. Shot of an African American woman with her back to the camera. Statistics read that African American women are 13 times more likely to get AIDS than white women; that Hispanic women are 11 times more likely to get AIDS than white women. Shots of an African American infant being examined by a white female doctor. Statistics read that 82% of infants with AIDS are African American; that 91% of infants with AIDS are non-white. Footage of Denise Cartier-Bennia (professor) saying that AIDS is affecting whole families in the African American community. Shot of a group of African Americans waiting for public transportation. Vaillancourt reports that the mode of transmission for AIDS is different in African American and white communities. V: Statistics read that homosexual/bisexual AIDS patients are 73%white, 16% African American and 11% Hispanic. Statistics read that heterosexual AIDS patients are 50% African American, 25% Hispanic and 25% white. Footage of Cartier-Bennia speaking. Shots of a group of African American teenagers crossing an urban street; of a drug user preparing a dose of heroin. Vaillancourt reports that Cartier-Bennia has studied the factors contributing to the high rate of AIDS in the African American community. V: Statistics read that African American women are 5 times more likely to get AIDS from contact with a drug user than from contact with a bisexual man. Shot of a group of African Americans boarding an MBTA bus. Vaillancourt reports that the immigration of infected immigrants from Haiti and Africa may be escalating the problem. V: Shots of military recruits laying down barbed wire in a field. Statistics read that 0.9 out of 1000 white military recruits test positive for the AIDS antibody; that 3.9 out of 1000 African American military recruits test positive for the AIDS antibody. Footage of Cartier-Bennia talking about the appearance of the AIDS antibody in military recruits. Cartier-Bennia says that one out of every 250 recruits was infected; that 10% to 30% of these recruits will eventually develop AIDS. Cartier-Bennia says that the African American community is in a "precarious position." Vaillancourt reports from a street corner. Groups of African Americans wait for public transportation across the street. Vaillancourt notes that AIDS is not an African American disease; that behavior creates the risk of transmission, not race. V: Footage of Cartier-Bennia saying that risky behavior leads to aids; that knowledge may be the most effective weapon against AIDS; that African American and Hispanic politicians have been silent on the subject of AIDS and the minority community. Shot of a group of African Americans boarding an MBTA bus. Footage of Cartier-Benia talking about the unwillingness of African American churches to discuss AIDS. Shot of an African American man crossing a street. Footage of Cartier-Bennia saying that AIDS is another problem which needs to be tackled by minority communities if they want to survive into the year 2000. Shots of African American children; of African Americans on the street; of African Americans waiting for public transportation.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 04/17/1987
Description: Meg Vaillancourt interviews Elma Lewis (Roxbury community leader) about the Roxbury neighborhood. Lewis says that Roxbury is portrayed as "unworthy" by the news media. Lewis criticizes media coverage, housing policy, and police performance in Roxbury. Lewis talks about the need for a community to set its own standards, saying that she complains about certain types of behavior on her block. Lewis says that she will not be driven from her home by the problems in the neighborhood. She talks about her obligation to work for improvements in the community. Vaillancourt's report is accompanied by footage of residents and police in the Roxbury area and a shot of a photograph of Darlene Tiffany Moore (Roxbury resident). This edition of the Ten O'Clock News also included the following items: Teachers and parents are frustrated over new starting times for the Boston Public Schools for the coming school year Boston parents frustrated with Wilson and School Committee Charles Laquidara organizes a boycott against Shell Oil Company
1:00:21: Visual: Footage of Elma Lewis (Roxbury community leader) being interviewed by Meg Vaillancourt. Lewis says that the media portray Roxbury as "unworthy." Shot of a Boston Herald newspaper article with a photo of eleven -year-old Darlene Tiffany Moore (Roxbury resident). Vaillancourt reports that Lewis lives on the same block as Moore; that Moore was killed by a stray bullet in Roxbury last weekend. Vaillancourt reports that Lewis says that Roxbury is a better community than is portrayed in the media. V: Shots of stately houses on Homestead Street in Roxbury; of a camera man filming a man in a business suit on a street. Vaillancourt reports that drug dealers are not common in Roxbury. V: Shot of an African American woman pulling weeds from a crack in a sidewalk. A boy on a bicycle is with her. Shots of two white police officers patrolling a residential street in Roxbury. Shot of multi-family houses on a residential street in Roxbury. Vaillancourt reports that Lewis says that federal housing requirements create crowded and hostile conditions in Roxbury residences. V: Shots of houses in a new development in Roxbury. Footage of Lewis saying that section eight of the federal housing policy was designed to disseminate people over a large area; that the result of section eight has been new housing projects. Vaillancourt notes that Lewis has criticized the performance of the Boston Police Department in Roxbury. V: Shots of a police cruiser traveling down a Roxbury street; of a small group of African American kids on a street corner. Footage of Lewis saying that every child in Roxbury knows where the drugs are; that the police need to be reminded constantly of where the drugs are. Vaillancourt reports that Lewis is tough on her own community. V: Footage of Lewis saying that residents need to refuse to allow certain kinds of activity on their block. Lewis says that she will harass city authorities and those responsible for the activity until the behavior stops. Shots of African American women and children crossing a Roxbury street; of a police cruiser traveling down a residential street. Shots of people doing yard work outside of a new development of houses in Roxbury. Footage of Lewis saying that a community needs to set its own standards; that residents need to stop bad behavior before it gets out of control. Vaillancourt says that Lewis is optimistic about the people who live in Roxbury. V: Shot of African American children playing in front of a building in Roxbury. Footage of Lewis saying that she will not be driven from her home; that she will not get up and move every twenty years while others relax comfortably in the suburbs. Lewis says that she has an obligation to stay in the community and work for improvements.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 08/23/1988
Description: Christopher Lydon interviews Sarah Small, who runs the Protestant Ministry at the University of Massachusetts Boston campus. Lydon and Small pray together before the interview. Small talks about her admiration for Martin Luther King, Jr. and her involvement in the civil rights movement. She says that she learned a lot about herself after spending time in jail for participation in the civil rights movement. Small talks about her commitment to helping those in need. She comments on the status of African Americans in US society. This edition of the Ten O'Clock News also included the following items: Banks agree to improve access to banking services in low-income neighborhoods and Julian Bond at Harvard University
1:00:10: Visual: Footage of Sarah Small (United Campus Ministries) being interviewed by Christopher Lydon at Packard Manse in Roxbury. Lydon reports that Small runs the Protestant Ministry at the University of Massachusetts Boston campus. Lydon says that Small grew up in rural North Carolina; that Small is a devout Christian. Lydon reports that their interview began with a prayer. V: Footage of Small and Lydon praying together as they hold hands. Footage of Small saying that she has always had great faith in God. Small says that she has always seen great leaders as humans. Small tells a story about how she refused to stand up for Lyndon Johnson (former US President), saying that she only stands up for Jesus. Small talks about how much she loved and admired Martin Luther King, Jr. (civil rights leader). Small says that King was a leader who was led by the holy spirit. Small says that King knew he had a limited time to accomplish his goals. Lydon reports that Small found her political and spiritual direction when she was in jail in the 1960s. V: Footage of Smalls being interviewed by Lydon. Small says that she ended up in jail a lot; that jail became a restful haven for her. Small says that she is thankful for having gone to jail. Small says that she overcame many fears through going to jail and through her participation in the civil rights movement. Small says that she realized that she is free to do what she wants and to not do what she does not want. Lydon reports that Small often played music for the crowds before King's speeches. Lydon notes that Small's front door at the Packard Manse is always open. V: Shots of Small playing the piano and singing; of three children clapping along with the music. Footage of Small talking about helping the less fortunate. Small says that she feeds and shelters those in need. Small says that she is not afraid to keep her door open, despite the violence on the streets. Small says that she does not own anything that she would not give away to someone else. Lydon reports that Small believes that people need to realize the complexity of real equality. V: Footage of Small being interviewed by Lydon. Small says that African American children learn things twice. Small says that African American culture is different from white culture; that African American children need to learn both cultures. Small says that African American children are not given credit for learning both cultures. Small says that one group of people should not be able to determine cultural standards. Small compares American culture to a vegetable soup. Small says that African Americans are the untapped resource of the US.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 01/15/1990