Research Project: The Untold Stories

Dr. Arvilla Payne-Jackson

I am pleased to let you know that my five-month follow-up after the completion of chemo has shown that I am cancer-free. Your prayers brought peace, strength, and healing as I made this incredible journey with Christ through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Thank You All. I would not have made it through without you.

While I was on leave, I was able to continue my research on the Study and find some answers to questions many have asked during our interviews. I have sent the three short documents to all those whose email addresses or regular mail addresses I have. The first piece, the Precursors to the Study explains how the Public Health Service used the Oslo Study and earlier studies to justify the Study; the second piece is on Dr. Parran, who was the actual mastermind behind the Study; and the third piece was on Dr. Dibble and Nurse Rivers Laurie. If anyone would like to receive these please send me an email apj07@comcast.net or call me at 301-659-0777.

The three weeks I was in Tuskegee this past summer, I was able to complete the first round of archival research at Tuskegee University. This has allowed me to contextualize the history of the Study, answer questions including how the Public Health Service justified the Study, learn of the deep underlying deceit of the Public Health Service at all levels of the Study from the very beginning, throughout and to the end of the Study, and gain clearer insight into the racial-socioeconomic factors that influenced the Study. I also completed eight interviews with nine descendants. To date, I have had the privilege of talking with 40 descendants. I deeply appreciate the raw candor all have been willing to share.

We are now moving into the next phase of our work: 1) I hope to complete 10 more interviews between now and the 2020 Commemoration, 2) complete the writing of the background and historical context of the Study, 3) find the common themes that run through the interviews, 4) work on the first draft of the remaining chapters of the book.

The suggested outline for the book is as follows, pending input and approval by the descendants.

Preface. Chapter One: Introduction to provide an overview of the Study.

Chapter Two: Express the need for Truth from the descendants’ perspective including the challenges that disguise, mislead, and hide the truth.

Chapter Three: Tell the stories of the men, who they were, their love for their families, communities, churches, and the sacrifices they made.

Chapter Four: Examine the impact of the Study across generations. This Chapter will reveal how descendants have been affected by the tragedy of the Study from the cross-cutting themes that emerge from the interviews, for example, the issues of trust and trustworthiness, betrayal, shame, stigma, and healing, among others.

Chapter Five: Conclusion - Assess where we have been, where are we now, and where we go from here.

Appendix A: Include transcripts of all the interviews conducted.

We are also getting the word out through conferences. In November of 2018, Mrs. Lillie Head and I presented a paper at the Washington Association of Professional Anthropologists. This November, two of the great-grandchildren descendants are submitting a proposal to present a Poster based on Mr. Leo Ware’s Crest at the conference at Howard University on Stigma. Dr. Rueben Warren, Ms. Lillie Head, and I are submitting abstracts for three presentations at two conferences to be held in February, The American Association of Behavioral Sciences Conference and the Ethnographic and Qualitative Research Conference. Dr. Betty Crutcher has been asked to submit an abstract for the Conference on Academic Education.

Again, thank you for all your prayers and support. God willing, I will be here for a while now and be able to complete the work He has spared me to complete.

Blessing on All.