What surprised me the most about the Tuskegee Syphilis Study was how the African Americans involved in the study did not even know that they were being used for research. Another thing that surprised me was how they researchers were able to get away with this unethical practice. It is surprising, but also not surprising given the time period in which this took place.
These researchers at the Tuskegee University targeted African Americans and took advantage of the historical treatment of them in society.
The reading discussed how the researchers involved in the experiment were mainly white males. These white males played on the stereotypes that surrounded African Americans and used it to their advantage. For the most part, they had no scientific proof for some areas in the study and just went off what they presumed black people did.
The lack of diversity in critical roles like this gives room for biases and stereotypes to grow. This is not good as these stereotypes can harm people, which we clearly see in this case of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Many African Americans lost their lives and were dehumanized as a result of this experiment.