Brief history of your culture
The first case of sickle cell anemia in Africa was reported in 1920s (Siddiqi et al., 2013) . The initial case of SCD (sickle cell disease) in Africa involved admission of a 10-year old boy of Arab descent in the Sudan’s Omdurman hospital in 1925 (Siddiqi et al., 2013) . Doctors diagnosed the boy with severe weakness, which the doctors later confirmed as anemia or sickle cell disease. Subsequent study by the pathologist R. Winston Evans at the West African Military Hospital in 1944, established 20 percent prevalence of SCD/trait in a population sample of 600 Gold Coast, Cameroons, Gambia and Nigerian population (Siddiqi et al., 2013) . A striking finding of Winston study was the three times higher prevalence of sickle cell trait in Africa than SCD/trait prevalence rate in the United States (Siddiqi et al., 2013) .
In the United States SCD activism originated in Oakland as part of the Black Power and Civil Right movements. Sickle cell activism was particularly directly tied to the Black Panther Party. Tolbert Small served as the main link between sickle cell awareness and the Black Panther Party. Small went on to establish the Sickle Cell Anemia Foundation wing of the Black Panter Party in 1970 as a practicing doctor. Sickle cell particularly led Black Panther Party campaign to improve African Americas healthcare (Bassett, 2016) .
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How many people
Sickle cell anemia trait (HbAS) affects 7 to 9 percent of African Americans, which translates to 1 sickle cell anemia case in per 12 of African American population (Hassell, 2010) . Approximately 1 in 500 African American infants also suffers from sickle cell anemia. Overall, there are 100,000 Americans living with sickle cell anemia with additional 1,000 sickle cell anemia births annually (Hassell, 2010) . Another 3 million Americans comprising 10 percent African Americans are homozygous carriers of HbAS gene (Hassell, 2010) . Studies with extremely limited genetic data indicate that the HbS gene is particularly more prevalent among African Americans with limited Caucasian genetic admixture, as revealed by examination of the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) genetic makeup (Hassell, 2010) .
Individualistic or collectivistic one example
African Americans suffering from SCD collectively faces discrimination in accessing treatment. For instance, when young blacks with SCD requests pain medication in emergency, rooms, attendants label them as “drug seekers”. Similarly, studies reveal that healthcare providers especially white staff attends to Black SCD patients facing pain discriminatively in favor of white patients. For instance, Black SCD patient receive less pain medication especially from white medical students convinced that nerve endings of blacks are less sensitive.
African Americans suffering from SCD also face similar health problems. The most serious health issue experienced by SCD Black American is chronic pain. Consequently, few of SCD patients survive to adulthood. Black Americans with SCD also face social alienation from society. Most Blacks living with sickle cell trait hides their condition and suffer silently in fear of rejection by family members, friends, community and the society at large. As a minority’s health problem, Blacks with sickle cell trait have received few attention by the government as characterized by meager budget allocation by federal government to sickle cell therapy programs.
Any singers, actors etc. with sickle cell anemia
Despite the chronic pain and racial/ethnic prejudices associated with SCD, several Black Americans with sickle cell trait are globally recognized celebrities. Among them include the Temptations singer Paul Williams. Williams was among the leading member and founder of the Temptations Motown group in the Classic five era. Temptations success included their song “The Way You Do the Things You Do” released in 1964 that featured in the Top 20 list on the Billboard. Williams stood out as Temptations lead singer especially in the group’s song “For Once in My Life” originally broadcasted in December 1968. Williams’s talent as a singer also helped Dennis Edwards to win the Grammy Award in 1968 with his song “Cloud Nine” jointly performed by Williams and Edwards. Unfortunately, Williams succumbed to his sickle cell anemia conditions that ultimately forced him to quit his singing career in 1971 and later passed in 1973 under unclear circumstances.
Values of your culture three examples
Politics and racial relations in the United States reflect in SCD demographics. Besides its biological history, SCD also evolved socio-politically with political and economic progresses. Initially, sickle cell trait emerged as a minority health problem especially common among Black Americans. Later, the Civil Right Movement especially by the Black Panther Party brought sickle cell trait health issue to the political limelight as part of the minority problems fuelled by racial injustices.
Socio-political aspect of SCD reflects in the biogeography of sickle cell trait. For instance, health statistics revealed that Memphis state led the country in SCD prevalence with 11 percent SCD-related infant mortality. In the 1950s and 1960s, scholars also confirmed the disproportionate confinement of SCD to a particular race namely Black Americans.
Community perceptions of SCD also explain epidemiology of sickle cell trait in Black Americans. Initially, Blacks with SCD grappled with denial and stigmatization. Later Black communities embraced their members with sickle cell trait paving the way for Civil Right advocacy of SCD patients’ rights to medication. Furthermore, blues lyrics such as Lizzie Douglas blue guitar lyrics inspired positive social discourse on sickle cell trait across America especially among Black communities. Similarly, African American movies by Black celebrities such as Bill Cosby’s 1972 “To all my Friends on Shore” movie as well as the 1974 “A Warm December” film by Sidney Poitier helped in revealing the sufferings of people living with SCD.
Christian or catholic
Pew Research Centre’s forum survey on Religion and Public Life (2019) found African Americans as more involved in religious activities than average religious participation of American population. Also, Pew Research Centre report established that majority of Black Americans are Christians; 83 percent, with 45 percent of the Black Christians identified as Baptist (Pew Research Center, 2019) . Black Catholics represents a tiny 5 percent of African American population, while 1 percent of Blacks subscribe to Islamic faith (Pew Research Center, 2019) . Lastly, Pew Research reported 12 percent of Blacks as agnostic or atheist (Pew Research Center, 2019) . Nevertheless, religious organizations play a critical role in sickle cell disease awareness and medication especially as a progressive course for minorities (Bediako et al., 2010) .
Sex and gender role differences three examples
The male-to-female ratio of sickle cell disease is 1:1. No gender predilection therefore occurs as SCD is not an X chromosome specific disease. However, US Renal Data System report shows significant prevalence of sickle cell related nephropathy among male compared to females. Gender discrimination of women especially Black women also increases their burden to cope with SCD than challenges faced by male counterparts. A typical example is the household chores for Black women that put them at more pain from sickle cell trait than their male spouses. Another example is the child bearing and rearing burden that similarly subjects Black women with sickle cell trait to more pain than their male spouses. Black women also some two fold discrimination, first as racial minority and secondly as women in a predominantly patriarchal American society.
What we would need to know to acculturate into your culture
Sickle cell trait is not exclusively a Black minority problem. Instead, sickle cell disease affects all races including Caucasians, Hispanics, Blacks and Asians. Knowledge on interracial prevalence of SCD helps in deterring social injustices against Black Americans suffering from SCD. Knowledge on higher prevalence of SCD among Blacks similarly helps in advocacy for resources allocations and affirmative action for Blacks living with sickle cell traits.
One concrete suggestion
Bone marrow transplant offers potential permanent cure for sickle cell trait. The government should therefore channel more resources for bone marrow transplant research and other sickle cell disease medication research. Also, the government should fully subsidize sickle cell disease medication especially for Black Americans due to their disadvantaged economic status and their high risk to sickle cell diseases
Conclusion
Sickle cell disease is disproportionately more prevalent in African American population than the rest of racial communities. Higher prevalence of SCD reflects social injustices and biogeography factors unique to Black Americans. Among them include disadvantaged socioeconomic and political background that limits accessibility and affordability of medication. Biogeography factors involve the association of sickle cell disease with malarial infections whereby sickle cells evolve as a mechanism to resist malaria. Consequently, sickle cell is prevalent in the geographic regions prone to malaria epidemic.
References
Bassett, M. T. (2016). Beyond Berets: The Black Panthers as Health Activists. American Journal of Public Health , 106 (10), 1741–1743.
Bediako, S. M., Lattimer, L., Haywood, C., Ratanawongsa, N., Lanzkron, S., & Beach, M. C. (2010). Religious coping and hospital admissions among adults with sickle cell disease. Journal of Behavioral Medicine , 34 (2), 120–127.
Hassell, K. L. (2010). Population Estimates of Sickle Cell Disease in the U.S. American Journal of Preventive Medicine , 38 (4), s512–s521.
Pew Research Center. (2019, October 3). Religion and Public Life. Retrieved October 6, 2019, from https://www.pewforum.org/.
Siddiqi, A.-E.-diqiA., Jordan, L. B., & Parker, C. S. (2013). Sickle Cell Disease – The American Saga. Ethn Dis , 23 (2), 245–248.
