Season 1, Episode 1 - Not Just A White, Gay, Men’s Disease: The value of addressing color and class during the AIDS/HIV epidemic in Philadelphia

Explicit

Rashidah Hassan Abdul Khabeer was working as a nurse when she came across her first AIDS patient. Overwhelmed with the responsibility of explaining this new, deadly virus to unsuspecting patients who were unaware of the course of the disease, she began to speak out and educate about AIDS. Rashidah knew most people dying from AIDS were from Black and other minority communities and knew they needed a strong voice. Before exploring Rashidah’s activism, this episode gives context to Rashidah’s work by looking at common news clips during the time. These news clips show listeners how the disease was portrayed. Often this included misunderstandings about the virus, who could be affected, and how it was transmitted. Not only was media affecting how AIDS was being represented, but President Reagan was also greatly changing how the response to this disease ...