Miss Evers Boys Essay

The film “Miss Evers’ Boys” is a historical portrayal of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, an unethical medical experiment on African American men in the 1930s. Offering a realistic depiction of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, “Miss Evers’ Boys” sheds light on the significant event which has been under-reported and under-studied. The opportunity to explore the story of “Miss Evers’ Boys” compelled me to dive deeper into the topic, given the importance of raising awareness about the unethical study that the film was based on. The movie provides a historical account of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, exposing the systemic racism and the unethical medical practices of the time. "Miss Evers' Boys" embodies the perspective of Eunice Evers, a nurse who was

Although it was a dramatization of events, the film serves as an education tool for viewers, especially those who are unfamiliar with the history of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. Moreover, the film is easily digestible for the audience to learn about the study and to bring awareness to it. Additionally, the film presented factual and almost precise statistics and figures regarding the study (Hermann 150-160, Kalman 6). The approach of telling the story through the perspective of Nurse Evers allows viewers to understand the moral and ethical implications of the study and misconduct of the physicians. By providing context about the patients lives before the study, the film helps to humanize them and allow viewers to empathize with their experiences (Kalman 1-2). Accordingly, the movie provides historical context into why research practices have changed since the 1930s and highlights why the healthcare system needed to establish ethical guidelines for all healthcare professionals and researchers to follow. By exploring these ethical issues, the movie offers a complex and engaging representation of the study that allows for critical thinking about the difficult subject matter it

To elaborate, Bryant Gumbel became the first Black anchor on network television, Vanessa Williams became the first Black winner of the Miss American pageant, and later in the decade Oprah Winfrey became the first black woman’s talk show that addressed difficult social issues. Undoubtedly, the release of “Miss Evers’ Boys” was part of a broader movement to increase representation of Black people on television. As a result, the film's portrayal of the unethical Tuskegee syphilis study was an important contribution to the conversation about racial disparities and discrimination in the 1990s. In 2001, Freimuth et al. conducted a study examining African Americans' views on research and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, and their findings shed light on the perceptions and reactions to the film “Miss Evers’ Boys.” There were mixed reactions from African American participants in the study to the film “Miss Evers’ Boys.” The movie was criticized by some participants for emphasizing traditional black stereotypes of “naivete" and "ignorance" and for focusing on Nurse Evers’ perspective instead of focusing on the government’s role in the study (Freimuth et al. 805-6). Similarly, other participants found the film to confirm their distrust of the government and linked the unethical treatment of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study