Miss Evers' Boys

Miss Evers' Boys tells the story of four men who instill their trust in a nurse from a similar background as them as they receive "free doctoring" if they take place in a government study of Negroes . This particular crew of men are chosen because they have what is known to them as "bad blood". After a few mere blood test their "bad blood" is diagnosed as syphilis. The men then decide it is in their best interest to take part in the study. At first the studies intentions are well, they treat the men with care in efforts to cure the growing syphilis epidemic. Once funding runs short the team of doctors decide that they will continue to study the men but instead of trying to cure them they will monitor the damaging effects of syphilis in black men. The study keeps the men by promising them life insurance and keeping them around with false pretenses like "back shots". Forty years later two of the men have died, and the other two have survived. One of which has suffered greatly from not being administered penicillin when it became readily available.

After watching the play I thought about other times in African-American history where as a people we were lied to, mistreated, and abused only to be made examples out of. It would be nice to say that racism like this doesn't still exist. However it does. Instances like "Jena 6", Troy Davis, and many more happen all the time sadly. Some go unreported, others receive national response. And though it seems as if we keep fighting for causes like this we cant stop there. We as a people shouldn't have to wait until its too late to step in and protest. Stories like "Miss Evers' Boys" angers me because the government would never (in a hundred years) allow that to happen to a group of country white men. All of these examples are reasons why as a people we need to come together. As its been said many times African Americans must stop acting like crabs in a barrel.