Collectively Speaking: Essays on Issues in Ethics

By Obiora N. Anekwe MEd EdD MS Bioethics MST

A maverick in the truest sense, Obiora Anekwe has been described as one of the most prolific and diverse intellectual scholars of his generation. Born in Tuskegee Institute, Alabama, reared during his early years and youth in Lagos, Nigeria and Columbus, Georgia, respectfully, Obiora embraces his full sense of self to interpret stories through art and writing. In his latest work, Collectively Speaking: Essays on Issues in Ethics, Obiora documents a decade’s worth of essays he wrote on issues related to education, bioethics, society, and the arts. His ability to allow language to tell the truth will attract readers to this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9781669877264

Book preview

Collectively Speaking

Essays on Issues in Ethics

OBIORA N. ANEKWE

MEd, EdD, MS Bioethics, MST

Copyright © 2023 by Obiora N. Anekwe. 853454

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced

or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic

or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or

by any information storage and retrieval system, without

permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

Library of Congress Control Number: 2023908903

Rev. date: 06/20/2023

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

Part I. Bioethics and Public Health in Science

1. PUBLIC HEALTH IN A POST 9/11 WORLD

2. LAW AND THE USAGE OF OTHER EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS IN BEHAVIORAL ATTITUDES TOWARD PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY

3. A LOOK AT THE TUSKEGEE EFFECT AMID THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

4. HOW SAFE WILL REOPENING AMERICA BE FOR BLACK AMERICANS?

5. MY REASONS AS TO WHY I WON’T BE GETTING THE CORONAVIRUS VACCINE ANYTIME SOON

6. THE ELDERLY ARE VALUED LESS DURING THE CORONAVIRUS-19 PANDEMIC

7. IS THE TERM CHINESE VIRUS RACIST WHEN REFERRING TO THE CORONAVIRUS?

Part II. Education, Special Education, and Language Communication

1. MY PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY ON SPECIAL EDUCATION

2. CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE TEACHING THROUGH ILLUSTRATIONS OF BLACKFACE AS PORTRAYED IN THE MASS MEDIA

3. THE NEW TUSKEGEE EXPERIMENTS IN PUBLIC EDUCATION: A SYSTEMATIC LINK BETWEEN BLACK MALE EDUCATIONAL DISENFRANCHISEMENT IN SPECIAL EDUCATION AND THE TUSKEGEE SYPHILIS STUDY

4. DISABLED BLACK LIVES MATTER TOO

5. UNHEARD VOICES OF WILLOWBROOK

6. REMEMBERING THE LIFE OF THOMAS BLIND TOM GREENE WIGGINS

7. ON HOW BARRON TRUMP BROUGHT AUTISM BACK TO LIGHT

8. CELEBRATING THE VERY SPECIAL ARTS OF NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS

9. THE CHILDREN’S LEARNING CENTER: EDUCATING STUDENTS WITH CEREBRAL PALSY

10. MY ADVICE TO FIRST YEAR COLLEGE STUDENTS

11. UNLEARNING INACCURACIES WILL SET ALL OF US FREE

12. PROFESSIONALISM AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN THE DOCTOR-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP LEARNED THROUGH LITERARY MESSAGES

13. ‘NATURALLY OCCURRING TALK’: LISTENING AND OBSERVING WHAT IS REAL

14. A TEMPTATION TO BE INAUTHENTIC

15. A TRAIN TICKET TO FREEDOM: MIGRATING NORTH TO FURTHER ADVANCE IN EDUCATION

Part III. Gender, Race, and Skin Color

1. GENDER ASSIMILATION IN AFGHANISTAN

2. THE GLOBAL PHENOMENON OF SKIN BLEACHING: A CRISIS IN PUBLIC HEALTH

3. THE MISEDUCATION OF GLOBAL PERCEPTIONS ON THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF SKIN BLEACHING

4. GLOBAL COLORISM: AN ETHICAL ISSUE AND CHALLENGE IN BIOETHICS

5. MELANIN AND SKIN COLOR

6. A BRIEF UNDERSTANDING OF A SWARTHY PEOPLE

7. RACIALIZED ORIGINS OF THE BRITISH (BRITONS) AND THE ENGLISH (ANGLO-SAXONS)

8. WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE THE MOOR

9. CHRISTIE’S AUCTION HOUSE AND THE SELLING OF KING TUT’S BUST

10. WE ARE OUR BROTHER’S KEEPER

Part IV. Life, Spirituality, and Religion

1. ARE BLACK WOMEN SAFER GETTING ABORTIONS THAN GIVING BIRTH?

2. IS A FETUS A PERSON?

3. YOUR WORK HAS MEANING TO GOD

4. BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO PRACTICE COMPASSION

5. ACT OUT YOUR ETHICS AND PRINCIPLES

6. HOW DEMENTIA CHANGED MY LIFE

7. A PROFESSIONAL CHALLENGE I LEARNED TO OVERCOME

8. PROFOUND MENTORING ENABLES US TO RISE TO OUR FULLEST POTENTIAL

9. UPON MY RETURN: REVISITING WHAT HAS BEEN STUDIED BEFORE

10. HOLY THURSDAY

11. A REFLECTION ON THE FEAST DAY OF THE CRISTO NEGRO DE PORTOBELO

12. STANDING UP FOR WATER PROTECTORS AT STANDING ROCK

Part V. Art, Society, and the Mass Media

1. RISING UP: HALE WOODRUFF’S MURALS FROM TALLADEGA COLLEGE TRAVEL THE COUNTRY

2. EMANUEL AND MATISSE: TWO DISTINCT PERSPECTIVES ON AGING

3. ALMA WOODSEY THOMAS (1891-1978) REVISITED

4. MEDIA REVIEW OF ART EXHIBITION, ONLY DON’T KNOW

5. CHRONICLING THE TUSKEGEE SYPHILIS STUDY THROUGH ART

6. DIRECTOR LEE DANIELS’ EMPIRE EDUCATES THE PUBLIC ON LOU GEHRIG’S DISEASE (ALS)

7. TYLER PERRY’S THE HAVES AND THE HAVE NOTS: INFUSING THEMATIC DISCUSSIONS OF HEALTH CARE AND CLASS DISPARITIES THROUGH THE VISUAL MEDIUM OF TELEVISION

8. SHOULD JAY-Z HAVE TAKEN THE DEAL?

9. THE 1619 PROJECT: FACT OR FICTION?

10. WHAT DOES THE CANCELLATION OF NATE PARKER SAY ABOUT OUR CURRENT CLIMATE?

11. PERCEPTION IS NOT ALWAYS EVERYTHING: PREJUDICIAL RENDERINGS MIRRORED IN FERGUSON, MISSOURI AND SCANDAL, USA

12. FROM THE SOUTHERN MIGRATION OF THE NEGRO TO THE NORTH UNTIL NOW, AFRICAN AMERICANS STILL WAIT FOR THE AMERICAN PROMISE OF RENDERING JUSTICE FAIRLY

13. THE ETHICS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING, SLAVE LABOR, AND PROSTITUTION OF AFRICAN GIRLS TO EUROPEAN MEN

14. WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM BUCKWHEAT: CONTEXTUALIZED LANGUAGE DISSEMINATION IN THE PROMOTION OF RACIALIZED STEREOTYPICAL IMAGERY AS DEPICTED IN MASS MEDIA ALIGNMENTS

15. HOW THE NATIONAL ANTHEM BECAME A MORAL AND ETHICAL ISSUE WE MUST CONFRONT

Part VI. Sports and Medicine

1. FROM THOMAS BLIND TOM WIGGINS TO MARSHAWN BEAST MODE LYNCH: TWO EXAMPLES IN COMPARATIVE SYMBOLISM OF ANIMALISTIC TRAITS HIGHLIGHTED THROUGH THE DEGRADING VISUAL IMAGERY OF BLACK MALES IN ENTERTAINMENT AND SPORTS

2. COLIN KAEPERNICK: ETHICAL WARRIOR OF SOCIAL JUSTICE

3. SHOULD BLACK ATHLETES ONLY ATTEND HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES?

4. RAFAEL NADAL AND THE USE OF PAIN-KILLING INJECTIONS IN TENNIS

Part VII. Interview, Published Books, and Book Cover Summary

1. INTERVIEW

2. PUBLISHED BOOKS

3. BOOK COVER SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

S ome would reasonably argue that a civilization is only as strong as its written text. Unlike any other form of communication, the written language has withstood the test of time. Years and years from now, what you write today will be remembered tomorrow. The ideas and opinions we express in text serve as a living testimony of our dedication to truth telling.

This book serves as a living example of what I mean. It includes sixty-three essays representing a vast body of work over the past decade, including opinion editorials, commentaries, and research-based articles in such areas as bioethics, education, science, and the arts. Some essays have previously been published in my books or other media outlets, while others have not been published.

My first goal in writing this book is to ensure that the public have access to these essays through one central publication. The second goal is to preserve a body of work that represents my broad range of interests in bioethics, education, science, and the arts. To do so effectively, I needed to compile all my essays in one book form. By doing this, other scholars who have similar interests can refer to these essays.

As you read through these essays, I encourage you to re-read them more than once to fully absorb the content and context of the work. My views on some topics are ever evolving. As such, some thoughts and ideas that were expressed a decade ago may not be reflective of what I believe today. Nevertheless, I believe that my collective body of work presented here demonstrates how ethical and philosophical concepts can be fully fleshed out over time to identify deeper meanings that resonate with other people. Once these concepts are fully understood, pragmatic policies can be proposed and eventually implemented that will leave an indelible mark on generations to come. This is the power of writing. It is truly the unwavering ability to effect change for the betterment of humanity.

BIOETHICS AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN SCIENCE

PUBLIC HEALTH IN A POST 9/11 WORLD

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A fter reading the ACLU Report entitled, Pandemic Preparedness by George J. Annas et al and Public Health Law in an Age of Terrorism: Rethinking Individual Rights and Common Goods by Lawrence O. Gostin, I came away thinking about public health in a post 9/11 world. In a society where our rights are limited to serve the best interests of the common good, how far can our rights be limited and to what extent should they be limited? In recent weeks, news reports have focused on the National Security Agency’s efforts to monitor public communications through the internet, telephone, and other media outlets. Some critics argue that such government surveillance actions are unconstitutional and a violation to individuals’ right to privacy. These arguments can also expand to government limitations on individual rights in cases of public health epidemics.

We all are aware of Hurricane Katrina and the impact it left upon the City of New Orleans. We visibly saw countless news reports about people of all races and classes struggling to seek refuge in shelters and hospitals throughout New Orleans and surrounding states. One public health concern that deserves more discussion is that of clean, sustainable water. The spread of diseases during and after Hurricane Katrina could have been curtailed if clean water was available in mass amounts to hospitals and shelters. Rather, many citizens literally died due to a lack of clean water. Such a seemingly simple solution to massive deaths could have saved countless lives. This was a public health crisis at its greatest height. To say the least, we witnessed the worst of what could happen when public health planning goes awkwardly wrong.

The ACLU’s report offers tangible solutions in how to deal with a crisis in public health. One of the overarching principles in which the report’s authors solicit is that of justice, where public health policies and procedures are crafted in a fair and unbiased manner. The authors also stress that punitive, coercive measures are ineffective and cause greater harm than good. Instead, communal responses based on fairness, justice, and educational health awareness tend to provide greater transparency. Numerous examples such as the local, state, and federal government’s response to Hurricane Katrina show that public health must truly serve the public good, not for some, but for all.

Lawrence Gostin’s article helps us rethink how we are to be prepared for our greatest public health tragedies. We are called to do better because the general society depends on the knowledge and accurate response of our government officials. I truly believe that we as American citizens are willing to give up some rights to know that we are safe, healthy, and secure. But I also argue that we want to know that what we are sacrificing is beneficial to our health and human good. Therefore, it is up to our public health and government officials to articulate the reasons why certain rights are temporarily limited to treat pandemic diseases.

Previously unpublished

LAW AND THE USAGE OF OTHER EFFECTIVE INTERVENTIONS IN BEHAVIORAL ATTITUDES TOWARD PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY

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H istorically, public health policy has played a critical role in bringing awareness to and changing misconceptions about issues that are directly related to healthy living. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been a long-standing advocate for public health policies that protect the public’s interest to ensure that New Yorkers live longer and healthier lives. But unfortunately, many of his most important public health measures have not always been received well. Mayor Bloomberg’s position on public health policy has been that law is the most effective means to change minds and hearts on significant public health issues that affect all New Yorkers. As my thesis argument, I hold the position that Mayor Bloomberg’s position is partially correct in that public health laws do serve as the quickest means to change negative public health outcomes such as high obesity rates, but public health laws may also create an unnecessary friction among those who disagree with mandated public health laws, harming the possibility of effective public health interventions. Therefore, it is my position that other effective means of public health intervention should be considered before law is explored as the sole means to change attitudes toward public health habits.

In the early formation of public health, we could see that voluntary efforts were made to reduce the spread of pandemic diseases rather than by lawful means. As SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) appeared in South East Asian countries in 2002, more severe restrictions on travel and contact with those who were infected with the disease were implemented only as healthcare measures to reduce the spread of SARS (Blenden, DesRoches, Cetron, Benson, Meinhardt, and Pollard, 2006). Infected people were quarantined in hospitals and schools due to the magnitude of the threat to the public. More restrictive public health policies became more evident in a post 9/11 world when deadly diseases were used as a weapon to harm and kill (Gostin, 2002). It became apparent that public health policies, flight and border laws, and isolation techniques needed to be considered as restrictive tools to limit pandemic diseases from spreading throughout the United States (Gostin, Bayer, and Fairchild, 2007).

Basic public health laws and regulations have always seemed to have a purposeful place in American society from early regulations on sanitation to sewage restrictions (Gostin, 2005). These public health limitations are rooted in the Harm Principle that philosophically originated with John Stuart Mill. Mill proposed in the Harm Principle that one’s rights as a citizen are only limited by what serves the good of the larger public. According to the Harm Principle, one’s rights can be limited if it causes harm to a third party (2005). In the case of sanitary conditions, the general public could potentially be harmed if public cleanliness is not enforced by rules and regulations. And in the case of the SARS outbreak in Southeast Asia, restrictions such as ankle bracelets and video-camera monitoring were necessary and justified because of the potential harm to the public. As Mill would contend, some liberties and freedoms, especially in times of crisis, may need to be suspended to prevent potential harm to the larger public or third party. To an extent, deadly diseases can unnecessarily spread if people are not aware that public sanitary conditions affect the entire public.

On the other hand, the bubonic plague in Honolulu, Hawaii of 1900 is an explicit example of how public health actions guided by inaccurate and misguided policies were lawful to safeguard the larger population (Mohr, 2005). Because of the unscientific belief that pandemic diseases multiplied within infected households, many homes in the Chinatown section of Honolulu, Hawaii were literally burned to the ground (2005). This legal public health action did not help eliminate the bubonic plague. It only ignited greater public mistrust among the native Chinese people in Honolulu. Unfortunately, a public health law that was instituted to help rid the public of a deadly plague caused greater harm than good (2005).

As a utilitarian approach to public health, the Harm justifies Mayor Bloomberg’s approach to public health in terms of its willingness to enforce public health measures through lawful initiatives, but it does not justify it as the only means by which public health can change attitudes toward healthy life choices. Therefore, it is my goal within this paper to now demonstrate other useful means by which public health can intervene without law as a single weapon of change.

Persuasion, without forceful coercion through law, seems to be one of the most lasting forms of public health transformation within communities. Persuasion itself can come in many forms and it tends to bring forth more positive outcomes than law, which is more forceful and coercive in nature. Nonetheless, public health officials would be wise to utilize non-coercive measures rather than coercive and forceful initiatives such as law to initiate public health policies because of the negative stigma that some public health laws tend to have among many populations both nationally and internationally.

One of the goals of law is to ensure that policy is implemented effectively (Frieden, 2013). Other proactive interventions can