January 1991
By the mid-1990s, HIV/AIDS had become the leading cause of death for Black Americans aged 25–44. Black Americans represented 13% of the population but by 1996 accounted for 41% of new AIDS cases. Intravenous drug use, inadequate healthcare access, and legacy distrust from the Tuskegee Syphilis Study contributed to disproportionate impact. The CDC declared Black America a special focus area in 1998.
Julie Stewart founded Families Against Mandatory Minimums in Washington, D.C. in 1991 after her brother received five years for marijuana distribution under mandatory minimum laws. FAMM grew into a major advocacy organization documenting racially disparate application of mandatory sentences and lobbying Congress for sentencing reform. Black families and communities of color comprised a significant portion of the organization's affected constituency.
Events
- 1991HIV/AIDS Disproportionately Devastates Black Communities
By the mid-1990s, HIV/AIDS had become the leading cause of death for Black Americans aged 25–44. Black Americans represented 13% of the population but by 1996 accounted for 41% of new AIDS cases. Intravenous drug use, inadequate healthcare access, and legacy distrust from the Tuskegee Syphilis Study contributed to disproportionate impact. The CDC declared Black America a special focus area in 1998.
- 1991Families Against Mandatory Minimums Founded to Fight Drug Sentences
Julie Stewart founded Families Against Mandatory Minimums in Washington, D.C. in 1991 after her brother received five years for marijuana distribution under mandatory minimum laws. FAMM grew into a major advocacy organization documenting racially disparate application of mandatory sentences and lobbying Congress for sentencing reform. Black families and communities of color comprised a significant portion of the organization's affected constituency.