Below is the footage from the Presidential apology. Clinton's apology was the first ever government acknowledge of the Tuskegee experiment and its wrong, unethical ways. Clinton even calls the actions and the officials "racist" in his apology to all those affected. Survivor Herman Shaw spoke at the apology ceremony and really was the most moving part of the video for me.
Shaw was born in Tallapoosa County, Alabama in 1902. His mother died when he was three, and his father was a farmer with very little education. He was the valedictorian of his high school, and wanted very much to go to college. However, he decided to stay on the farm because his father asked him to instead. He married in 1926 and had two children, a son and daughter. When they first heard about the study, Shaw was one of many men to attend Church and listen to the information session. Shaw says, " Really, I would say we were forced into it. We could not get health care. We were poor. We could not get anybody in the city to help us in the country." This speaks to just how poverty-stricken the area was at the time, and how much they were in need of attention of any kind.
Shaw is a role model for all those to come. He was treated in the worst ways, and has found a way to overcome his pain and struggles in order to create a better today. Shaw preached for everyone to find a way to forgive, "put this horrible nightmare behind us." He spoke about working to make an America the kind of place where Tuskegee would never happen again. His words were very inspirational, and his attitude is what should drive the studies now that are working to re-integrate blacks into the medical community without distrust.
Shaw was born in Tallapoosa County, Alabama in 1902. His mother died when he was three, and his father was a farmer with very little education. He was the valedictorian of his high school, and wanted very much to go to college. However, he decided to stay on the farm because his father asked him to instead. He married in 1926 and had two children, a son and daughter. When they first heard about the study, Shaw was one of many men to attend Church and listen to the information session. Shaw says, " Really, I would say we were forced into it. We could not get health care. We were poor. We could not get anybody in the city to help us in the country." This speaks to just how poverty-stricken the area was at the time, and how much they were in need of attention of any kind.
Shaw is a role model for all those to come. He was treated in the worst ways, and has found a way to overcome his pain and struggles in order to create a better today. Shaw preached for everyone to find a way to forgive, "put this horrible nightmare behind us." He spoke about working to make an America the kind of place where Tuskegee would never happen again. His words were very inspirational, and his attitude is what should drive the studies now that are working to re-integrate blacks into the medical community without distrust.