Eradicating HIV/AIDS, racism and inequality in the Deep South: An Afrocentric conceptual framework of equality

Abstract HIV/AIDS has been a public health crisis since the 1980s yet people of African descent that live in the southern region of the United States are more likely to not receive treatment for this disease. This work has four goals. The first goal is to discuss the social determinants that contribute to the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the Deep South. The second goal is to discuss the Afrocentric paradigm that promotes cultural pride and Black empowerment. The third goal is to provide a paradigm that details how racial inequalities perpetuate. The final goal is to provide recommendations regarding how the Afrocentric paradigm can help eradicate health disparities for people of African ancestry that reside in the Southern region of the United States.