In 1932 a group of black men, approximately 600 of them, were told by doctors that they were being tested for "bad blood". About 50% of the men had syphilis. In the end, many died because they did not receive proper treatment to cure what was ailing them. It became known as the "Tuskegee Experiment". It happened at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama.
Present day: As deaths continue to occur during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Atlanta-based Southern Christian Leadership Conference is concerned that the poor could be used as "sacrificial lambs".
Deaths from COVID-19 total almost 45,000 in the United States. In Georgia there are more than 21,000 confirmed cases, with 872 coronavirus-related deaths according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.
Tomorrow Georgia Governor Brian Kemp starts allowing businesses, such as nail salons, beauty shops, barber shops, and massage parlors to reopen. SCLC President Dr. Charles Steele says people who work those jobs live paycheck to paycheck and will return to work because they need the money.
In a warning to Georgia, Texas, and other states contemplating reopening to commerce, Dr. Steele says "Don't do it", adding "we cannot use poor people as sacrificial lambs like they did to people during the Tuskegee Experiment."
