This article looks retrospectively at the 1980s AIDS/HIV crisis among black Americans. A brief chronology of the epidemiology of AIDS is reviewed, then three social theories are proposed to understand AIDS related behavior in black communities: conflict theory is employed to examine economic statification; functionalist theory is used in the discussion of social dysfunction and marginality; and interactionist theory, in terms of deviance and labeling. The overall purpose is to provide theoretical frameworks to help health educators understand and create interventions within black at-risk communities. Policy considerations and recommendations are provided for more meaningful disease prevention programs to combat AIDS infections as well as chemical dependency problems in the 1990s.
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